Aquarium

About a month ago, we drove out to Long  Beach with some friends to go to the aquarium. Not the best aquarium I've ever been to, but pretty good for the little guys. This was the first tank as you walk in. This pretty much sums up Gavin's experience.

There was some pretty cool sea life

Lots of crazy jelly fish. They are so pretty in the tank. Too bad they sting

These crabs are seriously huge!

I loved all the star fish

It's hard to smile and try to get Gavin to smile at the same time.

Good picture of Daddy and Gavin

Jack and Gavin

Gavin really likes to cuddle "babies" in pictures.

Shark Tank

Who's driving this boat?

The mamas and the boys.

Family picture. I look frumpy.

5 years, 19.5 weeks, 2nd haircut, & more

Friday, Jordan and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. I know everyone says it, but it's hard to believe that it has been five years since that ridiculously hot/humid day in DC. Trust me, if you were there, you remember the heat. Jordan and I took turns wiping sweat off of each other in between pictures. Sounds romantic huh? We decided to stick with our pretty classic celebration. I was sick during the night, the night before, so Jordan stayed home from school to let me sleep in. Then he went out to pick something up and surprised me with these gorgeous flowers.



We had never been to an Imax, so we decided to go see Inception at the Imax. It was really good, but I think I'll save the extra money next time. One thing it did not lack was loud surround sound. I would never bring a kid. In the middle of the movie, the picture stopped working, while the sound continued. They had it back up and running in about ten minutes, but we were compensated with some free passes (with restrictions). After the movie, we headed over to Macaroni Grill. Jordan took me there for our first dinner date. We haven't been there in a long time and it was really good. I forgot to have our server take a picture, so this is what we got of ourselves at home.




Contrasted with 5 years ago...




Upon arriving home, (our next door neighbor, Liz watched Gavin) we saw this.



That's right, she did our dishes, which I happen to know she really dislikes doing. She also brought over her bin of maternity clothes for me to look through (she is ridiculous right? i owe her big). Have I mentioned I'm pregnant? Well the two of you who read our blog already knew that. Here I am at 19.5 weeks.



And no post would be complete without Gavin; in fact, this is probably the least about Gavin of any post. Tonight we (Jordan) decided it was time to give Gavin another hair cut. Ok he has been telling me to for weeks and I finally agreed. His hair was kind of a mess. Looks like we forgot to get an after picture. Maybe tomorrow (that means I'll post in two months).




Also, some just for fun. He took all the stickers off of his nursery project and put them on his forehead.



He loves Bongo and Cookie Monster.



And we can't forget our visit from CC which seemed to last 10 minutes. We are so glad she made it out here and grateful for everything she gave us. Gavin likes to sit on his new potty, but hasn't discovered the real purpose yet - he just thinks he gets to sit down naked, which he likes. We're not pushing anything, just want him to start getting used to the idea. Wouldn't it be nice if he were potty trained before the new baby came? And gave up the binky? Wishful thinking, I think.

Growing Up

Gavin is growing up so fast. he is trying so hard to talk and he says a few words including cheese, fish, and cookie (for Cookie Monster). He's really good at cheering when we watch Deal or No Deal. If you ask him a question, he will usually respond with a very adamant "Ya-Ya". He's been saying no for a long time, but the last couple of days he has developed a very concerned sounding "no". He loves stacking things, even if they aren't meant to be stacked and has become obsessed with Rice Krispies. He usually asks me to give him some 5 times a day.

We are getting ready to move next weekend to family student housing. They're not the biggest or nicest, but along with other pros, they are about half the rent. Our apartment is a huge mess and we have several boxes filled. Also for all you netflix subscribers, go watch Veronica Mars. It's on watch instantly now. Or you can just go buy the seasons, it's totally worth it. I haven't given up on a movie yet, or better yet, just bring the show back, I mean seriously have you seen some of the shows on tv these days?

Pop Rocks!



At the Braves Game


In daddy's really really worn out shirt




Sometimes when mommy won't take me on a walk, I settle for watching tv in my stroller


Me and my Rice Krispies


One of my stacking/balancing projects



He just got his nails done



Elephant



A little long, but a cute clip

Frustrations, Golf Balls, and Mommy's Shoes

Lately Gavin is challenging himself with balancing feats. For instance, the other day he had a spatula and a golf ball. He had the spatula on the floor and kept trying to balance the ball on it. He was getting really frustrated and crying. Eventually he got it balanced so he was happy again. But that wasn't good enough...then he picked the spatula up and off fell the ball. So he starts crying again and he had to start over. He doesn't give up, but he ends up sitting there crying. I try to help him, but it's even hard for me to balance the ball on the spatula. Eventually I gave up and distracted him with something else. Similar balancing acts have been attempted daily. It's so interesting to me that he gets so frustrated that he sits there crying. Maybe he's going to be really good at the egg on spoon balancing at parties.

In other news, Gavin has no problem balancing the golf balls in his mouth.


After we went walking the other day, he made me put my shoes on him.



Playing with Daddy.



This is how well Gavin is learning his body parts.



"Jumping"

"New" Aunt Carolyn

Jordan and I starting doing our family history a few months ago. Since a lot has been done on his side, we have mostly focused on my side of the family. Jordan has taken over my mom's side and I have been working on my dad's side. We signed up for Ancestry.com, talked my parents and grandparents (on my mom's side). My dad's mom was unfortunate enough to not raise him after he was about 2 years old. My dad also found an old letter from one of his aunts that told him he had a half-sister a couple of years older than him and her name was Carolyn. My main focus became to find out what happened to my dad's mom and half-sister as there was a slight possibility his mom might still be alive, and good possibility his sister was alive. Using the little information we had, I was able to find a possible birth record, and two marriage records for Aunt Carolyn. The first marriage was in Los Angeles, not too far from us here in Riverside. As ancestry.com provides indexes, but not certificates, we decided to drive over and have a look at the records to find out more details. We found the certificate for her first marriage and from that, found out her first husband's parents' names. I was able to find them living in Hemet (30 min from us) and found a phone number for them online. They were so nice and gave Aunt Carolyn my number. The next day I got to talk to my Aunt Carolyn for the first time. She is so nice and sweet and excited to be part of our family. Unfortunately my dad is still in Canada picking up Josh from his mission and hasn't been able to talk to her yet. I'm so excited that after nearly 60 years, my dad will get to know his sister. I think she was shocked to learn that she has 6 nephews and 3 nieces. We have all been overwhelming her with information.

Can you see the family resemblance?



I definitely can. We also have two new cousins, Diane and Karen. Diane lives in Chino, so we'll get to meet her soon. We're so glad to know that families are forever and we'll get to meet Karen someday. We're going to have to plan a trip to Wyoming to meet Aunt Carolyn. We can't wait! We love you Aunt Carolyn! Welcome to the family.

Uncle Ed and Aunt Carolyn


Diane and Marty


Karen

No More Curls

A couple of weeks ago, we decided it was finally time for Gavin's first haircut. It was also my first time giving a haircut, and it's a good thing Gavin doesn't care what his hair looks like.

Some before shots



This is Gavin playing with the magnet board Charee made me. He loves it and cries when I put it up.




The Hair-cutting process





No More Curls:(



Finished Product











Awesome picture of my boys.



Just cause it's cute




This is for Connie's sisters who think Gavin has the best temperament.





A second later when he sees the camera




And just for Kerri, here is how Gavin helps with the silverware.



I'll have to do another post soon because I'm behind and there is just so much. We have been going to the park a lot lately (notice Gavin's farmer's tan), and playing at home. Jordan works hard at school as always and even let me cut his hair (we're not posting those pictures). Maybe after I get some more practice. After my first attempt with Jordan's hair, I decided I had better do some more research before our next attempt.