Party - bday/baptism

Thank you all for making Gabriel's first birthday and baptism so special. We are truly blessed!

On February 15th we had Gabe baptized at our church. There will be video of the whole thing posted as soon as Keith breaks it up into chunks that can be posted on here.

After church we had a little get together at the house to celebrate this wonderful event and his first birthday. The party was a ton of fun - it was nice to have our friends over to the house for food and stuff.


Gabriel wasn't much on opening presents but he did play with everything - or at least one of the kids did!


As the afternoon wore on, Gabriel didn't. He needed a nap! When he went down for his nap the Timmerman's made their getaway back to Iowa. We will miss them and hope they come back soon.


I have to admit I don't have a ton of pictures from the party. I know other people do so I just need to get them and post some more later.

Valentine's Day

We spent our Valentine's Day at home with the Timmerman's. Amy & the boys brought over treat bags and gifts for everyone which was super fun too. That evening we baked heart shaped sugar cookies - Elizabeth had a blast and was very creative.


Also, we purchased a dining room set from our realtor - it's not new but it's new to us - so Keith & Erik went and picked it up Saturday. Gabriel wanted to help daddy put it back together.

Timmerman's

Our good friends the Timmerman's drove from Des Moines to Denver to see our new house and be here for the big celebration - Gabriel's birthday and baptism. Erik and Melissa are Gabe's godparents and we were thrilled to have them visit with their daughters, Elizabeth & Emily. Emily and Gabriel are about 5 months apart and were two peas in a pod all weekend. Gabe even taught Em how to throw your arms in the air for touchdown. Elizabeth is going to be 4 this month so I decided to spoil her rotten while she was here - it might be a good thing I don't have a daughter. Of course there were Valentine's day presents, birthday presents and well, just cuz I said so presents.

While they were here we went to visit the Children's Museum and it was a big hit w/ all 3 of the kids.
Train conductor Gabriel

Deep sea fisherwoman Elizabeth

Basketball rising star Emily (sorry for the back of the baby shot - oh and that is Erik!)

Feb 5th - another year, another big day

What a difference a year makes. Gabriel is walking, talking and getting into everything. Last year all he could do was eat, sleep and make a mess in a diaper (all things he still does well). He went for his well-baby visit and here is what we found out -

Height - 31 inches
Weight - 21.6 pounds

Our 9 lb 10 oz monster is now on the small side for his age. He is a very active boy with a healthy appetite but it just isn't sticking to his bones. No worries though - he is a very healthy boy. And here is my moment to brag - he is in the top 10% for his age developmentally. He is able to stack blocks, put toys away, sign a few words and speak 4 words. We never know how he is doing unless someone else points it out....it's nice to hear. We, of course, think he is just amazing but it's nice to know he is moving right along the way he should be.

So, the other portion of February 5th is that we closed on our house. It was a great day! Our closing was a bit of an episode of Jerry Springer (short version - the couple are divorcing and the wife showed up w/ her girlfriend!) but at least we walked away with our new home. We moved in on Saturday and quickly unpacked since we were having house guests on Thursday for the weekend.

Tubes

Well, after many months of battling ear infections we put Gabriel under the knife for tubes. The whole experience took less than an hour from arrival to departure. We did really well before he went in but the waking up from the drugs part put mommy in tears....it wasn't fun. Gabe was a trooper and since the surgery we have been to the doctor twice (ped & ent) with reports of clear ears. That is so nice to hear after being told they got snot like stuff out of his ears when they did the tubes.
Playing before surgery

Dressed for success with his moose slippers - he is sad they don't fit anymore