Child Labor Anyone??

I am working on a Christmas project and needed some help!
I can always count on Dani and Gavin to be ready and willing to "craft" and they didn't let me down! All I had to do was mention the word paint and they were ready to go. (It could have been "paint the house" for all they cared) I captured their creativeness before they decided playing on the playhouse would be better. Here are some photos of the day- including a down time moment that I think is too cute!

Silly Boy

Gavin came to see me in the kitchen and had something to show me! Thankfully I keep the camera ready and here is what I got:

He looked like he had chicken feet with my gloves on. He did say they were comfy though!
Notice the cute boxer shorts he is sporting. We still have no clothes on but I have resigned myself to the fact that I have to let it go!

Turkey Talk

What a fantastic Thanksgiving we had!! We went to mom and dad's and saw Julie, Daniel, and Dani, and Jason and Missy and the kids! Gavin had the most fun of all! He got to play with a puppy and ride to the farm on the "4-wheeler"- which is really a Polaris 6 seater!! He had so much fun he didn't drink or eat a thing all day! (I am beginning to question if he is actually part of our family)
With full bellies and thankful hearts I think everyone had a great time. The day just seemed to be too short to talk to everyone and eat and do all you want to do. I guess that is why they put Thanksgiving and Christmas so close together.

The kids also get a new Christmas ornament from mamaw and papaw every year. They love this tradition (and so do the parents)!

What a GREAT day!

Just For Laughs

I got this in an email and laughed out loud! I guess I needed the comedic relief at the time. Hope you enjoy!

Thankful For...

It is "Thanksgiving Eve" and I am exhausted from the day! Lot's of cooking and cleaning and child entertaining! But I have so many things to be thankful for: First and foremost for a God who loves me and considers my being here important in the first place. I am thankful for a husband that would go to the ends of the earth for me if I asked him too and goes above and beyond to allow me the opportunity to stay at home with Gavin. Gavin is the light of my life and I can hardly remember a day before him! He is so smart and loving and we are truly blessed with him in our lives. I am thankful for wonderful parents who not only hepled make me who I am today but whom I look at as inspiration. They are the best parents and grandparents anyone could ever hope for! I am thankful that they are both doing better in regards to their health and that we have them to spend this holiday with. I am thankful for my siblings who love me and want to be part of my life and part of Gavin's life. I want him to grow up close to his cousins and to always have support from them.
I am thankful that we have our health, a roof over our head, and love in our hearts and for another day to give "thanks"!

Tag! 'm It?!?

Ok- so now Shelley tagged me to show the 4th picture in the 4th folder of my pics. We have 2 computers so all of our older pics are on the other laptop but here is what we find.......

This is a picture of Gavin eating Pop Rocks for the very first time on Father's Day this year. We made daddy a basket with all things "pop" (pop rocks, pop tarts. popcorn, popsicles, etc.) to let him know that of all the "Pop's" he's the best!
Gavin loved the pop rocks and kept opening his mouth to make sure we could SEE what was going on in there.

OK- Whose next?

Chef Gavin

As some of you know my kid is outlawed from our kitchen via a couple of baby gates we have between the kitchen and living room. He just can't be trusted and that is all there is to it! Every now and then he gets to help mommy make "food" and that is such a proud moment for him. This time we decided to make some M&M cookies. He wanted to wear his apron mamaw made him and of course he wanted to make sure I DID NOTHING!!
He really did a great job. The best part for me was seeing him smile! He was so proud of himself!

Look at Me!

Gavin thinks he would make the best present! The problem is he didn't fit in the box he chose. But it did make for a great picture! He is so excited about Christmas that we can't put the real presents out yet- so he has to suffer with the empty boxes! What a trooper!

Gavin's 1st School Thanksgiving

Gavin loves "school" and I am so happy about that. He would go everyday if he could. Last Thursday was his Thanksgiving Party at school. When I got there he was making a necklace for mommy. He made my day when he ran to me and said "Mommy, I love you!" right in front of the class and other parents.
For the Thanksgiving feast, the kids has pizza and a turkey shaped sugar cookie. Not your average Thanksgiving meal but perfect for kids who would rather do anything but sit still.

They made the cutest placemats with their handprints and said what they were thankful for. Gavin's said "mommy", "daddy", "mamaw", "papaw", and his dinosaur. (Don't ask me where the dinosaur came from!)
The party was pretty uneventful except for the fact that it made me realize even more how too fast Gavin is growing up. He is what I am truly thankful for!

Trip with Papaw!

Gavin loves his papaw. As a matter of fact, I think he would move in with mamaw and papaw if I would allow it! Anyways, on Friday Dad asked Gavin and me to go with him to Springdale. He began by eating the sausage and biscuit papaw had got him and then proceeded to eat Dad's too!
The thought was that we would go to the "Disney Store" in the mall for all things Mickey Mouse. Unfortunately it was closed but Gavin didn't care. He was with papaw and life was goooooood!! He rode the little carousel ride in the mall 4 times until we finally had to drag him away so we could eat.

He even got a toy car with track and a horse that he and Dani like to play with.

I think Gavin's favorite part was the tunnel which he refers to as the "train tunnel". (too much Thomas the Tank Engine I guess)Each time we went through he wanted to do it again.
I (foolishly) thought that he would go to sleep on the way home but no such luck. He was too happy and was afraid that he would miss out on something. When he did finally go to sleep when we got home he slept almost 3 hours! Some trip, huh?

Cousin Trouble!

If you didn't know they were cousins, you would think that Gavin and Dani were brother and sister. She is so good with him and they play so good together. Then at the drop of a hat they are arguing just like brother and sister. They love each other so much and I am so glad they are close. I hope it stays that way forever.
Yesterday, we picked Dani up from school so she and Gavin could have some play time together. They did it all! Piggy back rides, puzzles, dumptruck riding, and even some games I think they made up. But I think the most fun they had by far was making the "club house" in my scrapbook room under a table. They had every pillow in the house there. They were so funny! I managed to get some pictures but it was hard since they kept trying to cover up all the holes! Such kids!!

My Kid, The Crafter

I LOVE to do crafts with Gavin. The problem with this is that once you do 1 thing he wants to do "something else" and more and more and more. He is relentless. I am thankful that he does enjoy it. And it really brings out his impatient side. 'It's my turn to try' is a phrase we hear all the time!

Here is a picture of him doing a Thanksgiving turkey. Glue seems to be his new best friend! (Notice the tongue hanging out of his mouth!)

Early Visit with Santa

Today my sister Julie and I took Gavin and Dani to see Santa at the mall. I know it seems early but you have to understand that my child has been begging to see him since, um, well July I guess! He begs to see him and we will probably have to make a couple more trips to see him between now and Christmas.
He was not to excited when he sat on Santa's lap the first time and all we could see was the top of his head. But after a walk around the mall he said "I will be nice to Santa." So we went back and amazingly he did well. Julie even got a picture or 2 out of it that I will post when I get copies. I was so proud of him. He even told Santa he wanted a tiny tractor for Christmas likes papaw's.
Afterwards we went and ate at Applebee's then onto Sam's. He and Dani seemed to eat the WHOLE time! Where they were putting it I have no idea. But they were so tired and the poor babies passed out in their car seats on the way home. Ah-- success!

The Shack

I am a reader! Love it!! And I am reading a book right now that if I get a chance to read before bed took a me a little less that 4 hours actual read time. It is called "The Shack" by William P. Young. I heard about it from the ladies in my "Preparing Your Heart for Advent" bible study. It is fiction but really touches on religion and God. I have been deeply moved by it and am reccomending it to anyone who will listen. I don't reccomend a lot of books simply because I know sometimes books are reccomended to me and I HATE them. Who needs that kind of pressure! But this is a great book and I am truly grateful to have been introduced to it.

Lament of a Sporadic Blogger

oK- Let's face it: I am a TERRIBLE blogger!! Well, I am good at it when I actually DO it but doing it is another story all together. I have not posted in well over a month. Like nothing has happened all that time (Halloween, school parties, crafts with the boy, time with family....) I have plenty to blog about.

Today was pretty uneventful with the exception of the total meltdown my child had at my doctors office. I was so embarrassed he had me in tears by the time we got to the car. (to make matters worse, he was mad because we went to my doctor and NOT to his! weird I know!) We were much better after a nap so cousin Dani came over to play after school and they had so much fun pushing each other in the Tonka truck around the house and making a couple of crafts.

They also managed quite a mess in Gavin's room so before bedtime I asked him to please go pick up his toys. His response, as serious as he could be :

"I can't pick them up, It's too hard, it will make me sick!"

What a kicker! My kid was channeling his daddy and papaw at the same time! Needless to say, he is still well!