Happy 5th Birthday Gabriel!

This kid turned five last Friday.  FIVE.

Sometimes I still think of him like this, but other days he seems far too wild and loud to have ever been this small. . .

I've posted a couple times in the last month, so I'm not sure I've mentioned things that Gabriel is all about these days.  He is loud, energetic, talks constantly, loves to read, and wants to be a super hero.  He loves is brother.  He gets excited about preschool and seeing his friends, enjoys storytime at the Children's Museum every week, Ninja Class, and violin lessons.  Many days he is quite the challenge as he pushes for his own way in all things.  He can flip out with the best of them over seemingly small things.  He has a quick temper. He has a hard time sitting still and being quiet at school. When he has something to say he just cannot stop thinking about it.  He gets easily distracted.  As frustrating as these things can be over the course of the day, we try to remember that he's showing growth and change over the past months.  His meltdowns are less frequent than 6 months ago.  He can focus in Ninja class or on practicing his violin for brief periods.  He can sit still in church without being a distraction (mostly). He can read and can spend an hour in his room reading and listening to books on CD.  He is learning how to manage his temper (and lets face it, I struggle with this too).  He now likes to color and write his name, and 6 months ago he had no interest in coloring or writing of any kind.  It's hard to see growth when you look at one day at a time and in the middle of a stressful and weary day it's sometimes hard to see the change that is happening slowly.

First symphony experience with Dad.  The people around them commented on how well he listened. 
He thought it was great fun and was proud to show off his ticket when he got home.

Transformers book at the toy store

Reading to Corban

Stories with Dad

We celebrated Gabriel's birthday a few days early since we had some family in town.  Gabriel loved being with Aunt Stephanie, Hannah Kate, Jane, Uncle Aaron, and Aunt Tiffany.  What a fun week he had.  On his actual birthday I asked him what he would like to do and he wanted to get a Christmas tree and watch Christmas movies.  As it was the day after Thanksgiving everyone agreed that was a good plan.

He loved talking to Jane and making her laugh. 
We have a video of it on my phone and he asks to watch it a lot

Beating Uncle Aaron at the Sneaky Squirrel game

Decorating a tree for his room

New Legos are the best

Happy Birthday Gabriel!

Williamsburg Trip

I am going to keep this fairly brief, but we recently took a little mini-trip to Williamsburg.  We'd been wanting to check it out for a while and had a few days off.  It was pretty cold and rainy while we were there, with most activity options being outside, but we did a couple fun outings and the boys loved playing where we stayed.  We had a two bedroom place with a little kitchen.  The properly also had a shared indoor pool and game room.  When we asked the boys what the best part of the trip was they both said something involving where we stayed.  We had been telling them for the days leading up to it that we were going to Williamsburg.  Since we went to our hotel first Corban naturally thought that our room was Williamsburg.  We were at a museum one day and he said "we go back to Williamsburg now?"  We realized that with little people where we stay is just as much a part of the experience as the other things that we do.

The first day we were there we went to Colonial Williamsburg in the morning before the weather got really cold and rainy.  Gabriel's favorite things were definitely the stocks and watching the blacksmith.  He asked the blacksmith all kinds of questions and really enjoyed watching him heat up and shape the metal.

The second day that we were there we went to The Living Museum.  They got to look at local wildlife, touch some sea creatures, and look at the dinosaur exhibit.  Unfortunately it was raining so we couldn't do everything that there was to do outside, but they still had fun.

Like I said though, the best part was where we stayed.  Gabriel liked having a queen size bed to himself, unlimited games in the game room, a warm pool to splash around in, and cable tv in the morning.  He even made a friend playing the Batman game.  They were talking about the bad guys they were fighting and comparing their Batmobiles.

It was a quick, fun trip.  It's always a little exhausting being with these energetic boys constantly and in confined quarters, but they had a good time and saw some new things.  I think we'll go back again when they're a little older and can appreciate things in a new way.  

Fall Shenanigans

So, oops, it's been two months since I put up any pictures.  I really do try to keep up with this more to keep track of what's been going on.  I like to be able to look back and read the funny things that they used to say or do.

A lot has happened in the last 2 months I suppose.  In September we took a trip to Atlanta for a wedding.  Gabriel went to the Lego exhibit, was the ring bearer at the wedding, and went to his first Braves game (the World Series is currently going on and I told him it was the Dodgers playing the Astros.  He said "well, we don't care about that.  We're Braves fans).  Gabriel's preschool class took a trip to Sinkland Farms, Gabriel went hiking with the youth group, we went to "Bugfest", we had some cousins come and visit, and Gabriel got his first stitches.  All of that while getting settled into another school year. 

And speaking of that, here are the school pictures from preschool:

Gabriel loves preschool.  Since he's never been one for much writing and coloring it's helpful for him to see other kids doing that.  Over the past couple months though he has shown a greater interest in that kind of thing.  He will color some and wants to write his name on what he makes.  He's continuing to enjoy reading and I try to have him read me a book most days before rest time.  As far as social stuff at school, he has several kids that he loves to play with while he's there.  The picture below is of Gabriel and his friend Addy.  She is one of the kids that was also in his class last year also.  When we went on his class field trip to the pumpkin patch they were quite the pair.  Her mom told me last week that she heard her say to Gabriel something like "You know you're my boyfriend."  It wasn't a question.  I asked Gabriel later how he felt about that and he said "I think that's fine I guess."

Other than the pictures below of things that he has been up to Gabriel is into the same things: Legos, super heros, Lego Batman, Transformers, Magic Tree House books, listening to audio books in his room in the afternoon, being loud and hyper, running around with Corban, and Ninja class.  There are many days where Gabriel is quite the challenge.  He pushes every limit and melts down easily.  After a particularly bad day last week I was shocked to hear at breakfast the next day "Mommy, I'm going to try and listen better today and make it a better day."  I was shocked that he had the insight to recognize a day later that his behavior the day before had created a rough day.  That's some progress. 

On another note, Gabriel is super excited that his birthday is this month.  He brings it up a lot.  Since his birthday is the day after Thanksgiving he asked if we could get a tree and watch Christmas movies on his birthday.  Sounds good to me.

3D movie at the lego exhibit in Atlanta

Wedding time!  I couldn't actually go to the wedding since I was at a
funeral in California, but Gabriel loved staying in a hotel with Daddy and
getting to have Aunt Stephanie as his date for the actual wedding.

Chatting it up with the flower girl

Guy time!  Braves game with Daddy and Uncle Matt.  He was really worn out by the time
the game came that day, but he brings up going and says that he ate "a HUGE hot dog!"

I should be shocked that he hasn't needed any stitches before now, but Gabriel was running in the kitchen about 6 weeks ago and tripped on a rug.  There is a cat door in the door leading to the garage (it's been there since we moved in).  His forehead hit the corner of that and wow there was some blood.  It was bleeding so badly that we just bandaged/ACE wrapped it and I drove him to my work.  It was hard to see how deep the cut really was at the time.  I checked him into my work, but after the bleeding slowed down and we could really see it we ended up going to the ER in case he needed some sedation to close it.  He was scared and wanted to go home (actually what seemed to bother him most was missing home group that night).  We had to wait for quite a while but thankfully a little before 10pm one of the PAs in the ED had all of the kids pulled out of the ER waiting room so that she could see them and get them home.  She put 9 stitches in his head and he did awesome.  She let him watch a movie on my tablet with the headphones and she stood above his head.  He was tired and distracted and barely moved.  I was proud of him.  He's got a nice little scar under his hair now.

Cascades hike with Daddy and the youth group

Building a castle for the Raven King (from a Magic Tree House book)

Halloween card from Aunt Niki!

While I usually have more pictures of Corban, I guess Gabriel has had more "events" this past two months.  Corban has mostly been doing his normal Corban things.  He took the trip to Atlanta and had fun seeing family.  He LOVES Mother's Morning Out and asks to go even when it's not the day for it.  He gets so excited to see his teachers and even randomly prayed for "Ms Karen and Ms Maryann" in Sunday school last week.  I know that while he's there they play inside, do puzzles, have song time, play outside, have a snack, and do a craft.  I of course don't know specifics every day.  After I pick him up I try to find out about it.  Last week the recap went like this:

Me: "Corban, what did you do at Mother's Morning Out today?"

Corban: "We not being nice."

Me: "Were you not being nice, or some of the other kids weren't being nice?"

Corban: "No, a sea lion.  He bit me in the head.  It was blue."

Me: "Ummm.  Ok.  So, what did you have for snack?"

Corban: "Socks.  We eat socks there."

Me: "I'm so glad we had this talk"

Both boys had so much fun at "Bugfest".  Corban let a huge cockroach crawl on his arm and Gabriel particularly liked all of the scorpions and tarantulas.  Corban's favorite part was a tent where you could hold butterflies.  He was so gentle with this little guy and was carrying him around.  When it was time to go he said so sweetly "put my butterfly in my backpack and take him home?"

Other things that Corban likes these days: swings (not slides.  Except the huge one that we did on burlap sacks at the pumpkin patch), Mickey Mouse, super hero play, dinosaurs, Daniel Tiger, books, bugs, Romp N Roll and his teacher Ms Diana, Little Einsteins, and relaxing in his bed with "sack".  He likes to go up to random people and say "What's your name?".  He also frequently says "I don't like that.  It's too weird" or "I don't like that.  It's too scary." or "beeeecause." He likes to sing "Jesus Lover of My Soul" really loudly (the other day he stood on a chair at Romp N Roll and sang to the entire class).  He very sweetly likes to say "Will you play with me Mommy?" (or Daddy) and "I like being with you Mommy"

On a random note, after doing some looking online for fun, we have determined that Corban has "Uncombable Hair Syndrome". I think that I mentioned that the pediatrician called it "Albert Einstein" hair before, as he was thought to have also had this rare genetic mutation.  It has more to do with the shape of the hair follicles than anything else.  It's harmless and I find it to be funny.  Maybe I'd feel differently about it if I had a girl and she wanted to have her hair longer. . .

We are working on potty training.  We are far enough along that he can't really go back to diapers, but he still has plenty of accidents and won't stop playing to run to the bathroom.  It took well over a year with Gabriel and I was hoping that Corban would be quicker because he showed a greater interest, but I'm trying to be patient.  He actually only goes a few times a day (he's always had a big bladder and would soak through diapers because of it sometimes) but I'm hoping that it "clicks" better soon.  When he uses the bathroom before nap I usually don't give him a treat but almost every day he says "I use the potty.  I get a candy.  I take a nap with the candy."

Cow at the pumpkin patch!

He literally got down on the ground next to this bird cage and was talking to the bird. 
He insisted that it was a Macaw so I just went with it. 
"Hello Macaw.  How are you? You eat the food?  You fly?"

I was making dinner last night and Corban said "I take a nap while you make dinner."  I thought he was going to go in his room and get in his bed.  He instead found some things and brought them to the kitchen.

I know this is long, but on a final note we had lots of fun doing Halloween things this past weekend.  We went to a fall festival, the Halloween party at Romp N Roll, and a trunk or treat.  Gabriel dressing up at preschool on Monday and they had a party. Last night Gabriel was excited to carve a pumpkin at home.  Gabriel wanted to be Batman every time he dressed up but Corban was Darth Vader, Darth Vader with a Batman mask, Dash, and Robin.  They had a fun few days.

He wanted to make him look "angry" and was very happy with the results!