Haints and Saints

Last weekend was full of excitement and wonder. First of all Tim and I have been excited about sharing Halloween with Gabe for weeks. The build up was excruciating, and we taught and reinforced "trick or treat" early and often. 

When Gabe came home from daycare we practically couldn't stand ourselves we were so giddy. We fed the small child so he would have plenty of energy. I don't think it's ever taken so long for a kid to eat a hot dog and easy mac. 

When it was time to put on the Jedi costume however,  we were met with stiff resistance. Gabe had no reference point for this seemingly random assortment of clothes he was stuffed into. Finally we broke through and spoke his language... Do this and get a whopping big sucker shaped like a monster. That was a game-changer. 

Semi-Jedi clad we marched next door to the neighbors, determined to trick or treat. It was a slog, but eventually Gabe understood that when we walked to a door, if he said "trick or treat," candy would be deposited into his bucket. It was like a miracle. Daddy carried Gabe and the light saber; mommy carried the candy bucket (oh if he knew how risky this was!) and we went much further through the neighborhood than we planned. Gabe said "thank you" after each candy deposit. As we walked away, he told us "more candy?" When we passed a house with no lights on and did not stop, he pointed and emphatically told us "house!" Eventually we trekked back home and enjoyed the parade of kids large and small who rang our doorbell. It was fun. 

Sunday was yet another long-awaited day- Gabe's baptism. He was made to wear yet another new costume, and his parents were again more excited than he was. Lots of family and friends surrounded us in church to watch us profess that we would raise Gabriel to know God's lavish love for him, until he is of an age that he can accept it for himself. It was a morning and a memory that I will always treasure. A big shout out to our friend from southern IN, Connie Hotmer, "Gramma Sugar" who traveled to China with us in May as a part of our travel group. She made the too sweet baptism outfit (and she takes orders!). It's hard to see in the pictures, but it had his initials embroidered in white. 

We selected November 2 for his baptism because at the time it was far in the future, and convenient for family. In an "odd or God" turn of events, November 2 was All Saints Sunday, and also Orphan Sunday in the church. As we celebrated one less orphan, we also celebrated my Gramma's homecoming in heaven.  

Gabe was kind of ok with the minister holding him at first but he was not impressed with the water on his forehead. It's traditional for the child to be carried up the center aisle by the minister so the church can get a look at the little cutie being baptized. After the water incident, Gabe wasn't trusting of Pastor Todd, so daddy carried him up the aisle to be admired by the congregation. 

And one from today, even though they lost, GO BIG BLUE!

The Beauty of Fall: 5 Months Home!

Oh my goodness, where did September go! And how is it the 20th day of October! I bet you are wondering the same thing! Around our house the excitement is growing for Halloween. Our sweet lil' monster doesn't know what Halloween is yet, but we cannot wait to share it with him! I know you're wondering, so the answer is that he's going to be a Jedi knight for Halloween. We found the best Jedi jacket (a la Obiwan) on Etsy, and he looks so cute in it- and don't forget the flashy light saber! No, he hasn't the foggiest idea what a Jedi is, but we do, and we think he looks adorable in his costume.

Last night we carved a jack o' lantern, and it was a big hit. Gabe loves pumpkins since our visit to the pumpkin patch. He knows that one pumpkin is a pumpkin, and 2 or more is a pumpkin patch. He happily calls out "pumpkin patch!!" whenever we pass by a grouping of pumpkins, causing grins to break out on the faces of fellow Kroger shoppers, or those walking nearby us in stores or outside daycare where pumpkin decorations are in abundance. Anyhoo, I was concerned that his love of pumpkins would make him squeamish when we dissected one in front of him. He seemed not to care about the poor pumpkin that much at all. Once we were finished with the carving, though, he was fascinated by the result!

The first of October began Gabe's love of pumpkins... his visit to the actual pumpkin patch. Here are some photos that show his love of the Great Pumpkin. We had a fun day!

More evidence of pumpkin love, courtesy of cousin Brooke!

This is also a great time of year for fall festivals. Labor Day weekend we visited the Winchester Pioneer Festival, and then the first weekend in October we went to Falmouth's Wool Festival.

We have had a lot of fun in these last few months, here's a few more highlights-

 

Finally, all this sharing has worn us out!! It's past bedtime now, so here's a few parting shots to help send you off to naptime or bedtime. One of Gabe's favorite tricks is to dump all his pillows and toys out of his bed at night. It's kind of a game where his parent has to navigate in the dark and guess whether there's plush stuffies waiting on the ground to make me fall flat on my face... it's fun. I hope you have lots of snuggles and hot cocoa this fall season! Enjoy the beauty of the fall leaves, and hug someone you love. <3

Our Month in Pictures

Somehow I have little time to update a blog lately. I do think about you all- all the friends, family, and friends of friends/family who have said you enjoyed reading the blog, and so this one is for you. Our month in pictures. Gabe has been home just over 3 months now, and he's growing, growing, growing! And learning, learning, learning!

Gabe knows the bumblebee song (ouch he stung me!!), and can count to 10 (sorta/kinda). Every time he gets to 10 he cheers and claps. It's adorable. Apparently I say "goodness" quite often because my little tape recorder says it too. His English is expanding rapidly. 

One recent Saturday evening in service, the pastor talked about the monotony that small children find wonder in. Every joy that makes them laugh, they want to "do it again," until the adult is sick to death. And yet God makes the sun rise every morning and the moon every night. Without fail, they "do it again." There are so many times now when I remind myself to enjoy these small moments and big moments of joy and growth. There's wonder and magic in Gabe's laugh, and I pray that we have the patience to slow down and enjoy it instead of rush on to the next thing. These are some of those moments.

This was a rainy Sunday afternoon where Gabe grabbed his stuffed buddies to read to them. 

Recently he's been very fond of his backpacks (pack-pack). He loves to load it up anytime he knows we are going bye bye. 

One night fixing dinner I thought Gabe was watching Mickey quietly. (Insert laugh here). This is where I found him, almost asleep. He did the same thing to Tim the next morning.  

Hours of fun to take a walk. 

We started sitting him on the stool for snacks or to color and now he climbs up on his own. It's a little scary to just find him up there. 

Daycare started potty training in earnest so we said we would try at home. This is after bathtime one evening. Gabe loves his Disney stuffed animals. He also knows all their names and will ask for them. 

Puppies are another favorite thing. He calls every puppy "Toby," like one of our Goldens. This cutie is now also named Toby. The other night at bedtime he wanted Toby. The dog or the stuffed animal?? Only the stuffed animal would fit in his crib, so that's what we went with. 

Gabe and Harley have a good relationship too. It's more based on food and the principle that small kids drop a lot of it. Here they are watching a movie together. Gabe moves Harley or Toby out of the way if they bother him. The other week he discovered that they have tails, so we are watching them all closely. 

Gabe is a daddy's boy for sure! Daddy's lap makes it all better!

At a recent doctor visit he was given trucks to play with while we waited. He lined them all up carefully first thing, then walked away. I moved them around and messed them up, and he fussed at me until they were again perfectly in line. He did eventually play with them and throw them around the room... And line them back up again. 

Another Disney fave, Simba. Simba is #2 on the pecking order after Mickey. Sometimes they're allowed to share space, as you see here. 

Our caped crusader keeping busy while we cleaned the bathroom on Saturday morning. He got the stool and table situated on his own, and started coloring. 

We have entered the stage where bedtime is playtime. It's always an adventure. This was a recent evening after it sounded like a dance party in his room after lights out. When it finally got quiet, I found the blankets and toys on the floor and one pooped small child in the crib. He literally goes full bore until he can go no further. 

This afternoon we had a water party and when it was time for a snack, Gabe wanted cheese on his cracker, same as Mama. This kid doesn't dip anything, ever. His cracker was plain per usual protocol, so he got down, walked over, and stuck his cracker in the cheese dip. Every cracker thereafter had to include cheese. That's my boy! Notice the grass on his nose. He had a blast getting dirty and then squirted clean with the water hose. 

I sprayed Gabe with water, so here he is returning the favor to Harley. He thought it was hilarious to get her wet. She did not mind. 

Smiles Enclosed

Need some smiles today? Well we have plenty to smile about as you can see below! 

Interspersed with our daily smiles we have had some moments of patience-gathering... We have 2 big dogs. They have a big water bowl. Yesterday our sweet boy upended the dogs' water bowl not once but twice (thoughtfully it was once on Tim's watch and once on mine, otherwise wailing from parent and child would have been heard from afar). But a camera was not first on my list of things to lay my hands on in the moment, so there's no photographic evidence of this toddler mischief. And I do find it more smile-worthy today than I did last night. 

Popsicles are a new thing. It took a while for Gabe to like the cold of Popsicles, but now he loves them, especially the fruit filled ones. Also he loves the hosing down he gets when they are done. Tuesdays are snow cone days at daycare- also a fave, and also requiring a change of clothes. 

Did you know we adopted a boy? Apparently boys climb everything. 

Shopping buddies! Gabe (& Mickey) are really good at the store. Gabe loves to put things I hand him into the buggy. 

Just like my daddy! Apples with peanut butter are super good! 

Visiting the duckies with cousin Brooke. 

Friday night entertainment- tickle party

And he has a healthy appetite...

Relaxing with the beautiful blanket made by Shirley- he loves it!! 

Time for a new hairdo- note, the iron was not plugged in. After his new do, he straightened Mickeys ears too.  

For bath time Gabe had a jar of bath cubes we put in the water to change water colors. He loved to pick one out each night and drop it in. This week he decided to dump in ALL the colors in the water. You will note the look on his face- he didn't like the dark water. Blech!

Sleepy boy. We have transitioned upstairs to his big boy bed in his room for naptime! He likes to have a good bounce on the bed session but does eventually settle down to rest. Eventually. 

Gabe loves his daddy! Here daddy is teaching him how to squirt relatives effectively and from a distance to reduce retaliation efforts. 

Busy boy! 

Big and little, Gabe and Benji at Aunt Joyce's on the 4th