Bikes and Slides

We love to go biking and hit up all the parks in the neighborhood. Gavin loves to ride and when he sees the park he starts to squeal with delight. It's so cute. He's so much fun. One of the great things about Dallas is that we can go to the park all year long.




We love to ride our bicycle! (Queen)


How cute is this picture?


Such a big boy.

I loved this picture so much that I put it in twice.

Gavin turns One!

We had the best time at Gavin's first birthday party! Grandma Judy came in town and helped plan the big event. We had the party at the gazebo in front of our lake by our house and it turned out really fun! My friend Connie who is an awesome pastry chef made the best cake (pictures to follow, our camera ran out of batteries, grandma Judy took most of the pictures and will send us a disc, so I can add the rest of the party pictures later) We did a giraffe and jungle theme and went nuts with decorating, games, food, and a really fun time. I invited everyone and I mean everyone and we had about 45 people at his party. His primary nurse from the NICU came and it really touched my heart that she would take time to come and wish him a happy birthday. Thanks to her and all the physicians, respiratory therapists and staff at Parkland we were able to celebrate this special day.

We felt so blessed to have this day and have already started planning next years party. I'm thinking bouncy house. Here's a couple of pics from his day.


Here's us at the start of the party. Right before the camera died. Oh well we know for next year to charge the camera the night before.


We worked on how old are you. I'm ONE! This is the silly town that has been hours of enjoyment for this little guy. I recommend this for anyone. He loves it! Thanks Johnson Family!

Halloween:Episode II

We had a great Halloween night. We had a neighborhood appetizer party and then went around our lake where they had a huge bouncey house, food and music. Gavin was so happy to be out and about and getting lots of attention. We were out walking around for so long that we missed all the trick or treaters. I have two huge bags of candy left. Already today, I have had about ten boxes of nerds. Here's some pics from our night out. Enjoy.
.

Halloween: Episode I

Here we are at our ward party the night before Halloween. I couldn't get my buns right on my Leah wig ( we were running late, shocker), so I had to go as Luke and Jared went as Anakin. It was fun because we were able to use our light sabers. Yes, we have two. The real ones. Don't ask.




Defending Chewy.



I'm thinking of going blonde. I had a great time! Maybe they do have more fun.




Cutest little Chewbacca!

Cousin Love

We had such a great time visiting Missouri and spending time with Josh, Melissa, Lucie, and sweet baby Jane. It was such a beautiful time to be there. We also got some great pictures done by Angelique (a local photographer). The babies had a really fun time together. They especially liked to swap pacifiers. I would look at Jane and she'd have a blue paci in her mouth and Gavin would have Jane's green paci in his mouth. Oh well, just building their immunity, right?

First Haircut

We went to visit Melissa in Missouri and while we were there we had pictures done, so Gavin got his first haircut. He sat all by himself and was really good.

The final look

He had a great time being the center of attention.

He's so fun and loves his cousin Lucie.

Gavin gives the finger

Gavin is very dexterous. He loves to touch things with just his index finger. It's really funny. Also, if you put your finger out in front of him he'll grab it and then put his finger to yours. It's so cute. I often look down and he's stroking his giraffe lovey with just his index finger. I love it.

Here's the "cool" guy

We loved this outfit and thought Gavin looked so cool. He's so fun and his little personality is really coming out.

Getting Big

I can't believe that Gavin is almost ten months old! He's getting so big! He loves to pull himself up and walk from ottoman to ottoman. It's so cute. He's so quick and we've been staying in shape by chasing him around and just trying to keep him from hurting himself. His new thing this week is to pull ALL the toilet paper off the roll in the bathrooms. He thinks it's so funny. He also has started to bite and it is not soft. He has six teeth and when he bites down you feel all of them. Last night I was sitting in our living room with my legs up on the ottoman and he walked over and bit down on my leg, I yelped ouch and when he looked up he started to laugh. It was hard not to laugh with him, but I think it's time to start teaching him not to bite. Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Enjoy the new pics and I will try to be better at updating our blog. Dee and Mary are coming this week and we'll have more pictures after their visit. We can't wait for them to come.

Fun Fourth

We had a great Fourth of July! We were so lucky to have Kylie with us for 11 days It was the BEST! Kylie helped me with Gavin and we had such a great time. We were always busy doing fun things and we loved having her help. I can't wait for another visit!


At the fireworks!



After the fireworks


Yummy rice krispy treats.



It was soooooo hot!!!! We went straight from the pool
to the fireworks show.

How sweet he is....

Here are some pictures that Peg took of Gavin. They turned out so cute! He is such a sweet boy. At 7 months he's starting to crawl, laugh, show off his new top and bottom teeth, sing, and when you ask him to give you a kiss he puts his lips on yours, it's the best! I love every minute with him. We have been so lucky. He still sleeps through the night and is always happy. Right now he's really into Jared. Every time Jared comes home he just lights up and starts laughing. They are so sweet together and Jared is the best dad.

Then there were three.........

We recently found out that Gavin is allergic to our cats and so with a sad goodbye they went to live with our friends Kelly and Travis. D'arcy is having a hard time adjusting (shocker), but James is doing well. They were great cats and companions and we will miss them, but feel good that they went to a good home and we can visit anytime.

One cute baby!

I just love this picture! He's so cute! He loves his new exersaucer and gets so excited when he's in there. He squels with joy and talks to himself. There is nothing cuter! We just love this kid so much!

Ode to St. George

I love love love St. George. Ever since we got back from our Easter break there I have been trying to convince Jared to move there when we're done. He's not convinced, but I'm going to keep working on it. Here's some pictures of us hiking "The Crack". We had a great time with the kids running around the red rocks. We brought Gavin and Dana carried him in his baby bjorn. He slept through the whole thing.

Hiking in St. George

This looks scarier than it was. Alissa climbed this ledge, but what you can't see is Jared right behind her.

Peek a boo

This kid can get anywhere.

Me and the girls.

Pics from Utah

Gavin is getting so big and cuter by the minute! He's interacting and has the best laugh.

He is is just hanging out at Mimi and Dee's

My two boys!

This was before our Busath debacle.

I thought this was funny. Jared and Gavin having a moment and then there's me just following procedure when someone says smile.

Trip to Utah

Last month we were able to go home to Utah, TWICE! The first was for my sweet oma's funeral and the second time was for Jared's spring break. Here's some pictures from the first trip home.......



Because I came into town on such short notice I didn't have time to tell everyone, so I called Dana and told her to meet me at McDonald's where I was having lunch with my family and to not tell her kids, so I could surprise them with Gavin. She sent me a text when they pulled up and I walked out with Gavin in my arms and when they walked in I said, "Hey what are you guys doing here?" It was so funny to see their faces and such a fun surprise! This is the picture from McDonald's.




This was Gavin's first sleep over with a cousin. Alissa stayed with me and helped out with Gavin. I'm so glad she likes him now. I think it's safe to say that she LOVES him!




Davis and Gavin. After Davis saw Gavin the first time he said to his mom, Dana, " Grab him and run!"




Gavin LOVES his Mimi! He gets really excited when his Mimi holds him and sings to him.




Gavin got a lot of attention while we were home. It was so fun for him to be around so many people that love him. It really makes me home sick and wish we lived closer, but we'll just have to come up with more excuses to visit.