Updates from Our World

We had a lot going on last week, so here are several posts of pictures updating what has been going on. First, here are a few random pics that didn't fit with any of the other posts...

I was loading the boys in the car after church on Wednesday night and Gabe started crying really hard. I looked to see if he was okay, and Joshua reached over to hold Gabe's hand. It was really sweet and Gabe stopped crying!

Gabe got some good tummy time on his play mat...it turned into a good nap!

Joshua enjoyed his first trip to Chuck E. Cheese as we joined our old playgroup for some fun! There aren't more pictures because I was chasing Joshua around while holding Gabe...it was a challenge!


I just had to post this picture because Gabe's outfit is oh so cute...corduroy pants and a sweater vest!

Joshua has had a little jealousy over things that are just for Gabe...like this pacifier! He has new-found love for pacifiers that he gave up over a year ago!

Jackson & Ella's Birthday Celebration

Saturday was a fun morning as we celebrated Jackson and Ella's 2nd birthdays! They were born two days apart and are great friends, so it was fitting for them to have a shared birthday party. It was at a really fun place called Pump It Up. They have lots of blow up games to bounce on and crawl through. The toddlers had such a great time!

Here are Jackson and Ella getting ready to dig into their Pablo birthday cake...


Laney and Joshua enjoyed some snacks...




Joshua wasn't too sure about the bounce house...


...but he did love the huge basketball


...and really loved the huge slide! He kept asking Daddy to go with him. He was very brave and would even turn over on his stomach halfway down the slide.

Yee-Haw!

Our church had a square dance on Friday night...who said Baptists can't dance?! It was a blast and everyone had a good time. Here are Ella and Joshua in their western-wear!


These are some of the kids that were there...


This is my sweet friend and coworker, Michelle. She is holding Gabe, who is dressed as baby cowboy in his boots and "Howdy" shirt...


Otto and Hot Rod (on the right) were the square dance callers. Every square dance that I have been to since freshmen year in high school (which is surprisingly quite a few), they have been the callers. Every year at high school camp, one of the late night activities is always a square dance. Peter carried on this tradition at the churches he has worked for. They are a really cute couple...hello, her name is Hot Rod!


Since Peter doesn't have a daughter, he is practicing his moves with Ella...how sweet!


Gabe danced with me all night because I put him in the sling. You can't really see him in this picture, but he is basically strapped to me!


Okay, Peter probably won't appreciate this picture being on the blog, but it cracked me up. Look how "happy" he and Pastor John look to be dancing together!

Happy Birthday, Ella!

On Friday afternoon we had a quick birthday party for Ella. She turned TWO on the 15th, but Joshua and Laney were just now able to celebrate with her!

Joshua helped Ella display her new clothes...


We sang "Happy Birthday" to Ella and then she blew out her candles! Luckily, she did not have a meltdown like she did in Disney World when she got her first birthday cupcake! See Janelle's blog for that story...I don't know how to link to that exact post...sorry!


Ella and Laney enjoying their sweet treats!


Joshua has a game where he stands with his back to our front door, says, "Ready, set, go!", and then runs down the hallway to his room where the race is finished by throwing himself on his couch. I think this game started when my mom was in town after Gabriel's birth, and now Joshua enlists everyone to join in. This was the first time for his friends to race with him. Here they are, lined up at the starting line!


Laney decided racing wasn't for her, so she sat in the cheering section...


Joshua wanted his Daddy to race with him. When I race, somehow Joshua always wins...but that is not the case when Daddy races. He wants to make sure Joshua knows who is the fastest!


The cutest expression...

Messy is okay, right?!

Joshua had a great time playing with Laney this week at her house! They rode her huge bouncing horse together!


After lunch, Kristin rewarded them for eating so well with Fudgepops! The only catch was that they had to get stripped down to their diapers and eat it outside. The next picture will show why that was a good idea!

Happy Month Day, Gabe!

Gabriel turns one month old today! I can't believe that he is already a month old, and at the same time, I feel like it has been longer than a month since his arrival.

Here are a few things that Peter and I have learned about Gabe in the last month:
1) He is a great eater! He gained over a pound in two weeks after leaving the hospital. (I'm not sure what he weighs now)
2) He is a noisy sleeper! He grunts and groans almost the entire night. He sleeps for about five hours straight, and then in two hour intervals the rest of the night.
3) He is a strong baby! Even in the hospital he tried to hold his head up on his own. Now when on his tummy, he can move his head from side to side.
4) He loves to snuggle and sleep on Mommy and Daddy's chests!
5) He has beautiful complexion...clear skin and pretty olive coloring.
5) He loves receiving kisses from Joshua, but also lets him know (by crying) if he doesn't want Joshua to bother him.
6) We love him so much as the new addition to our family!

Many people have asked us if Gabe looks like Joshua when he was born...here are their newborn pictures so you can decide for yourself!

Gabriel on the left...Joshua on the right.

Here are their pictures at one month...

Gabe on the left...Joshua on the right.

This Weekend's Fun

We decided to have a family Valentine's Day celebration this year...mostly because I am not ready to leave Gabe yet. We wanted to go see a movie, because that is a favorite date of Peter & I...but it is not too nice to other people who are paying to see a movie to have a toddler and an infant sitting next to them! Every trip to Houston, we always drive past a Galaxy Drive-In Theater in Ennis and have always wanted to see a movie there. So Thursday night was the night! We packed up the boys, including their pajamas, snacks, and books (for Joshua), and headed to Ennis. Y'all this is such a fun date or family night idea...you get to watch two movies for $6/adult and young kids are free. They have a concession stand with lots of junk food...so we enjoyed corndogs and nachos.

Joshua loved the idea of a drive-in movie. He got to sit in my lap in the front seat...he got to eat in the car...he got to watch a movie on a big screen! We were loving it too, until he figured out how to roll the windows up and down...up and down...up and down. Then how to unlock and lock the doors...unlock and lock the doors...you get the picture! At that point, he got put back in his car seat and he fell asleep for the night. Gabe slept almost all the way through both movies like a champ!

The picture didn't turn out too good...the screen and other cars are in the background, but you can't see it in the dark.


On Friday, Joshua went to KDO and Peter, Gabe & I spent the day together. Gabe turned four weeks old on Friday, so we went to get professional pictures taken. It was a lot of fun putting him in a different outfits and putting him in several poses. Even with all of the fun, we didn't end up liking the pictures too much, so we are going to try again next week.

If you live in North Texas, you know that Saturday was a wet, messy day...with rain and hail throughout the day, it was not a great day for going out. This meant that I had a bored 21 month old and husband on my hands by 4:00 pm. We finally got out of the apartment to go eat at Pei Wei, thanks to a Valentine gift card from my parents! On our drive home, we saw the most beautiful rainbows. That's right, rainbows...plural! The colors were so vivid...we could see the entire rainbow...and there were two (one inside the other). The pictures we took did not do God's display justice (and you can't see the second rainbow very well because it was pretty faint). The pictures are taken at our apartment complex and we had to take several pictures to try get the whole rainbow.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here are pictures of my Valentines...my sweet husband, Josh & Gabe! The ladies that took care of Joshua at the church threw a Valentine party today. They were so sweet to invite us back, and included our whole family.

Joshua made his bag to collect Valentine cards in...

Gabe slept in a swing...too much excitement going on for him! Auntie Alicia gave him this shirt that says "Already Breaking Hearts"...it's true!

Then he woke up while everyone ate lunch...

Here is Peter & Gabe with Jared and his daughter, Karoline. Karoline is going to be a big sister in about five weeks!

Out on theTown!

We have been getting out of the house to go to doctors appointments, shopping trips, to see friends, and to church. It has been so nice to get out of the apartment...Joshua needed it and so did I! Here are some pics from the last few weeks...

Gabriel at 3 weeks...

Gabriel at 3 1/2 weeks...check out the shoes...I have decided that even boys need cute accessories!

My parents came in town to hang out with us while Peter was busy with our church's Tour weekend (like D-Now). Joshua and Gabriel got showered with early Valentine gifts from them and Auntie Alicia. Joshua loves his new doodle...

and his new monkey lunchkit from his Auntie Alicia!

We went to the park on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Joshua was actually able to hang on the rings...when his hands would start to slip, Grandpa caught him. He thought it was a pretty fun game.

Joshua and Laney have enjoyed some time together now that I'm on maternity leave and have some extra time during the day. This was Joshua's first experience in a sand box...

We went to the library for story time. Joshua and Laney were holding hands, walking up to the librarian to receive their Valentine gifts...so sweet!

They were a little overwhelmed by all of the other kids!

Thanks to Lori's blog, The Bargain Shopper Lady, we found out that IHOP was offering free shortstacks on Tuesday night for a donation to Shriner's Hospitals. I took that excuse to not have to cook, and we headed to IHOP. Gabriel enjoyed his first bottle while we ate...Peter was excited because this means we have some dates coming in the near future!

He is already a pro...holding the bottle all by himself!

Gabe chillin' in his bouncy seat and Pete...