Fall Fun!

Fall is by far my favorite season! I love everything about fall: pumpkin spice lattes, big cozy sweaters, haunted houses, and craving pumpkins to name a few. I have been so excited to take Gavin to pick out pumpkins this fall now that he is older and walking. We had a blast this last weekend watching Gavin enjoy "Pumpkin Hollow"a pumpkin farm in Overland Park. I think he just liked being on the loose....he was walking/ running all over the place. They had a special section of "small" pumpkins just for the kiddos to pick out. He also experienced his first hayride....not sure if he was a fan or not. I think his favorite part was running through the corn maze. Anyways, the weather was perfect and we walked away with three pumpkins and are looking forward to craving them!

Good Times on the "Plaza"

A few weekends ago we went with some friends of ours Bill and Jessica and their son Caleb to the Art Festival down on the Country Club Plaza....OMG can we say people!! It was a mad house! Basically, they close down all the streets on the plaza from traffic and fill the streets with art vendors. There were people everywhere and I did not see a lot of people buying art. This really was nothing more than a large party! All the local restaurants on the plaza had booths open and were selling food and drinks. They had live music and entertainment not to mention that all the shops were still open for shopping! So, seems like a good time right? Well, yes but not with your one year old! Next time we will be leaving Gavin at home with a sitter....Gigi? Dudie? Kim? Any takers? Anyways, we still had a good time walking around and enjoying the beautiful fall day! The boys seemed to really like the stroller ride and people watching.

Gavin's 1yr Pictures

I found this wonderful photographer here in KC that was referred to me from a friend. She does amazing work and I was so happy to have her do Gavin's one year pictures.....is he not just the cutest kid EVER!!! I just love him to pieces!

Finally Home Owners!!!

Well, shame on me for not posting in over a month!!! I guess you could say life has been a little crazy this summer. For starters Courtney and I finally bought a house here in Olathe, Kansas. We have been wanting to buy a house for years but have never really felt like it was the right time due to Courtney's job situation. We finally decided now is the time....we like KC and love the fact that we are closer to family. There are so many fun and wonderful things to do here in KC and we feel like this will be great place to call "home".

Our new home is just on the south side of Olathe and is only three blocks from the new elementary school Gavin will attend. Another bonus is the neighborhood park is just at the end of our street. We are so excited to move into our new home....I can hardly wait! We close Oct. 7th.

In between house stuff Gavin and I have had a pretty fun and busy summer! We have had a few trips to  Deanna Rose, a wonderful petting zoo right here in town! It is so much fun watching Gavin's face expressions as he observes the animals. The animals like to get up close and personal....

We also had a wonderful week trip to Arkansas to visit all of our good friends...Aaden, Addalyn and Brynlee! However, this momma forgot the camera and we were so busy playing with our friends I didn't even take any pictures with my phone! I could just KICK myself!!! Anyways, thanks Nicole and Jessi for a such wonderful time, we miss you guys already!

Meanwhile, Gavin is keeping me busy!! He has mastered going up and down the stairs, he loves to dance to any type of music (especially to his alligator piano from Dudie and Papa), and loves playing construction worker just like Dad! Gavin got a tool bench for his birthday and it has been a big hit!

"Our Little Love Bug Turns One"

I can't believe it has been one year already....I sit here in awww in how much joy this little boy brings to our lifes. He truly is a blessing and we just love him to pieces!! Well, we had big plans to spend his birthday yesterday at the zoo with some friends to celebrate. However, on our way home from Iowa and his party Gavin got sick. He had been running a fever for the last two days along with a cough and runny nose. He did wake-up fever free yesterday, so I think we are on the down hill slide. However, no zoo yesterday.....we spent the day resting up! But we did still manage to squeeze in a little birthday celebration!

Happy 1st Birthday Gavin Bo....you are our perfect little boy and the best addition to this family.

Weight and Length: Will check back after 1yr. appointment

Hair and Eyes: Very little hair to speak of....but seems to be blonde and is starting to come in more. Big Beautiful Blues Eyes.....that squint when you smile. I think it is the perfect mix of mom and dad.

Favorite Foods: Bananas, Blueberries, CHEESE, mangos, avocado and milk. You drink milk and water from a sippy cup during the day. We are still nursing at bedtime....however I don't think that will last much longer as you are already "some" nights starting to wean yourself. This will be extremely sad for me, however it will be easy since you are weaning yourself.

Favorite Things: Anything that makes noise! You love to bang things together and push buttons. We have some farm animal books that make noise when you push the button that you love. You also really like your "blue blanket"....you have to have it for every nap and at bedtime.

Wake-up & Bedtime: You wake up between 7-7:30am and are bed for the night at 7:30pm
Naps: Morning nap is 1.5-2 hours around 9:30ish and afternoon nap is 1.5-2 hours around 2:30ish

Accomplishments: Started walking at 11 1/2 months. You are like a little sponge and like to mimic what we do....in the last 2 weeks you started to: blows kisses, raises your hands for "so big", and pat your head when we say "oh my". You also are starting to show an interest in using sliverware to eat with. Also, in the last week you finally have your first tooth coming in!!!

Gavin Facts: If we had to pick one word to describe you it would be smiley! You smile all the time...and really are a happy baby! I have people come up to me all the time saying how precious you are and how much you smile.

Happy 1st Birthday to our favorite little boy!

Love: Mom and Dad 

A Bug Party!

We had Gavin's first birthday party this past Saturday back at my parents house in Waterloo. I had so much fun planning Gavin's party and picking out all the little details to match. I decided to go with a bug theme and it truly was perfect! All the bright colors and patterns were so much fun! Gavin even wore a navy zig-zag birthday tie to match! It ended up being the perfect day outside and we had a great time with family and friends!

The Decorations: 

I had a basket full of "worms" as favor gifts for all the kids to take home. Along with "Ants on a Log" 

The Food: 

We enjoyed "Spider Bite" Sandwiches, "Butterfly Pasta", "Fruit Fly Salad", "Chips & Slug Salsa" and some "Sweet Nectar" for the adults. 

Grandma Rose made Gavin's Buggy Cake and some "Creepy Crawler Cupcakes" for everyone else. 

We even had "Bug Juice" for the kids to enjoy.....

Family: 

Friends: 

The Cake Smash: 

Gavin had never had a cookie or anything real sweet until his first birthday cake....Big Thanks to Rose for making Gavin's first cake so perfect! He loved it! 

Styling in his birthday hat.....he was the cutest birthday boy I had ever seen!

The After Party: 

After all the kids were in bed....we sat out by the fire enjoying the beautiful night! It was the perfect way to end a great party!