gabey. . .baby?

that's what we used to call him. . .still do sometimes. i can't believe that my "baby" turned seven this past week. there's something about seven. . .seems so old. i still remember bringing that little five pound baby home from the hospital. we were so young, so clueless about the journey we were beginning. we certainly haven't been perfect, but somehow our "gabey baby" has become such a sweet, thoughtful, and loving boy. we are so proud of him.
gabriel wanted to have a sleepover for his birthday party this year. he couldn't have picked four sweeter buddies to share his special day with. they had such fun playing @ mcdonalds, creating their own cupcakes, sharing a movie and popcorn, and camping out in gabe's room.
gabriel. . .we wish there was a way to keep you small just a little longer, but as you continue to grow, know that your mom and dad love you immeasurably!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

quite a dinner party

on saturday night we went out to eat @ a small greek restaurant here in town. while we were waiting for our food an older man with a long white beard walked in and sat down @ a table on the other side of the room. fresh from his visit to see santa @ the mall, christian speaks up and say, "hey look mom, there's santa claus!!" we all had a good laugh and continued waiting for our food. about halfway through our meal, christian is again staring across the room @ "santa". there was also an older lady eating @ the table with long blonde hair that she had put back in two french braids. again, with a look of wonder in his eyes, christian speaks up and says, "momma, santa claus is eating with goldilocks." silly, silly boy. you make us smile.

catch up. . .

so. . . the blog has obviously been stalled for a little while. this is my attempt to catch you up on the last month or so. . .in pictures. included are a visit from mimi, the apple orchard, christian's fall celebration @ school, my first real homemade apple pie, and halloween.

adam and eve. . .

christian has had such fun being involved in AWANA this year. cubbies is right up his alley, and he is learning and growing already.
this week, we were reading his lesson about adam and eve. after reading the story about how they sinned, i asked christian if he sinned and if he could tell me about that sin. after thinking for a minute, he hung his head and said, i picked the fruit off the tree. he, of course, was thinking back to our peach picking adventure during the summer. i could only laugh as i explained to him that picking fruit was not a sin. . .still not sure if he got that.
but, he is learning. he asked me to turn the radio off tonight so that he could say his verse. he proudly pronounced, "God is truthful", and then gave me permission to turn the radio back on.
christian, mommy is so glad that i get to be your teacher for cubbies this year. it is so fun to hear you memorizing and learning God's Word. He loves you much more and much better than mommy ever could. i look forward to seeing you grow in Him! love you, kid.

Disney 2008

To see our pictures, click here

We had an amazing time at Disney World a couple of weeks ago. The boys made memories that will last a lifetime. Here is a list of the things we enjoyed the most. . .

1. Staying 7 full days. Totally worth it if you have a little one 3 or under. We did not feel rushed at all, and got to do everything more than once.

2. Our resort. We stayed at Coronado Springs Resort @ Disney. We enjoyed the pool the most. Everyone told us that they had the greatest pool and they were right!

3. The meal plan. We actually got our meal plan free because of special they were running for this week in September. It is so easy to use, the food was great, and it was nice not to have to worry about spending money on food all week.

4. Fantasmic. This was a spectacular lights, laser, and fireworks show @ Hollywood Studios. We got amazing video of the boys in complete awe @ the effects during this show.

5. The rides. . .of course. Gabriel impressed us both. He went on every roller coaster and the tower of terror (which i wouldn't even go on). And . . .he actually enjoyed it, too. Christian went on everything that he was tall enough for. He reminds me so much of myself. Even if he was scared, there was no way he was going to admit it.

6. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Spooktacular. We paid a little extra to go to this on our last night @ Disney. It was at the Magic Kingdom which was closed to everyone else who didn't purchase tickets. We did not wait for one ride all night. We walked right in to all of the attractions we wanted to experience again, and the boys got to wear their Halloween costumes and trick or treat. They also had a Halloween Parade. It was a fun way to end the vacation!

We waited a long time for this! Christian has been asking for months when we are going to see Buzz Lightyear. It was an amazing family vacation, and we can't wait to do it all again!

Gabe's dream or mine

Growing up one of my favorite memories was riding my bike. I enjoyed racing, jumping and doing all sort of tricks. I must admit that I was pretty good, or at least I thought I was.

Over the last couple of months Gabe has become quite the bike rider and with us having an empty lot next to us I jumped at the chance to start Gabe on his way to becoming a BMX star.

Gabe was doing great and had mastered the 1 foot dirt jump that I made for him until he had a great idea. The conversation went something like this.

Gabe -"Dad I'm going to ring my bell when I'm going over the jump"
Me -"No, you need to keep your hands on your handle bar"

The rest is history. (Make sure you listen for the bell.)


The good news in all of this is that the next day Gabe was out jumping again. Good job Gabe! I'm proud of you!!!!

K3 candids. . .

christian started his first day of preschool yesterday. he was quite apprehensive on the way to school, and even more so when he realized that i would be leaving him there all by himself. thankfully, his teacher mrs. bagley is amazing at diverting his attention and making him feel at ease.
mrs. bagley is the same teacher that gabe had when he was in K3 and we just think she's super. mrs bagley,we will be praying for you as you love on our baby this year.
christian james, your momma and daddy love you so much, and we know that you're going to have a great school year.