Happy Birthday to Gabriel

It has definately been a very long time since I have posted anything on this blog. Gabriel's 1st bday is the perfect occassion for me to catch up, right? Gabriel turned one on Friday, and we had his party on Saturday. We have all just fallen in love with this little guy's personality. He is so so cute. He melts me with those baby blues every time. Here are the photo's from his party:

He squints every time the flash for the camera goes off

He loved his ballons that had his name on them

Alyssa and Gabe

Gabe did not like the cake. He couldn't stand the feeling of the icing on his fingers and cried until we got rid of it

Brendon with his other broken wrist

Mommy and bday boy

Unwrapping new stuff

Gabriel still refuses to walk, but will take steps and is very firm on his feet. He now says "uh-oh" in addition to "ma ma" "da da" "no" and his on version of yes, "leh". He continues to eat absolutely anything and everything we put in front of him. Defintely not a picky little guy. I now have him completely weaned, and next we are going to try and get rid of the pacifier's. I am not sure how well that will go over. Gabe continues to sleep alot, and takes two naps a day. We went to the doctor and got his stats for the year.

30 1/2 inches tall- 75th percentile

22 1/2 lbs- 50th percentile. Keep in mind that he was in the 25th just two months ago! He is def. an eater.

I really cannot believe that the little guy is 1! When he was first born, and not sleeping, it seemed like it would last forever. Now here we are, a year later. We all love him more and more every day. I am so glad we get to enjoy him every day:)

Halloween 2009

I really cannot believe that Thanksgiving and Christmas are almost here. I will also be turning 30 next week. Really, where did the summer go? Anyway, we are moving right along over here. Gabriel is getting bigger every day. He is now walking around furniture, standing for short periods of time on his own, and eating everything in sight. Really, there is nothing I have found that this kid doesn't like. He can eat and eat and eat. Right now as I type, he is eating an entire Gala apple that I steamed for him. He is lucky that he is thin like his daddy;) Gabe is also now sleeping 11-12 hrs. a night.

Halloween this year was pretty uneventful for us. I usually have big plans and go to some huge party, but we just stayed at home this year. We took Brendon and Gabriel to a festival in Mt. Holly during the day, and then Eric's mom took Brendon to trick or treat, while we put the baby to bed. Brendon was a ninja from GI Joe (the bad guy wore white???) and Gabe was a chicken, costume courtesy of Lora.

My boys

Chicken and Daddy

This was pretty neat. Brendon was standing in line to do the jousting, and there was a kid in front of him the exact height and weight and age as Brendon in the opposite GI Joe ninja costume. His true doppelganger. Brendon and this little boy decided to joust each other in the competition.

Brendon won the jousting and knocked him off, and then showed good sportsmanship and helped the other little boy up and gave him a high five.

This is a dreadful pic of me, but I wanted to include at least one of me and the babe

Smooches from mommy

Busy, Busy Baby Boy

Oh goodnes, Gabriel is into everything. He has started so many new things in the past month.

• He started pulling up on all of the furniture at 7 months
• He sometimes will wave bye bye
• He says mama and dada, sometimes he gets the right parent, and sometimes he doesn't
• When I tell him "No", I can tell he understands me completely
• He has begun to "gum" some solid foods in his high chair
• When he is standing holding onto something, he will let go and stand for a second
• He will sleep at night anywhere from 9-11hrs straight, nurse, and then go back to bed for a couple more hours.
• I can lay him down at naptime, and he goes to sleep with absolutely no protest at all

We went to Ocean Isle with my parents two weekends ago for the Oyster Festival. Gabriel made it clear that he doesn't like to travel. We had some rough nights while we were there. Here is a pic of my mom and Gabe on the way to the festival.

Here is Gabriel in his new space saving high chair. He loves it.

As for Brendon, he has gotten very active in Boy Scout b/c he couldn't play baseball this season since he broke his wrist. Last weekend, his troop went hiking at Mt. Mitchell. They went on a six mile hike up the mountain. Only a few kids made it to the top, and Brendon not only made it to the top, but he was in the very front the whole time. He had a great time, and is looking forward to more hiking trips. Brendon gets his report card today, and that will determine how many trips I will allow him to go on.

As for the parents, Eric and I have been taking a class called Crown financial. It is basically a study for how God wants us to use our money. We had no idea that there are more than 2500 verses in the Bible about finances! It has been very eye opening and an extreme blessing for us. We are now working with a financial advisor to get everything in order. As it turns out, we are not as bad off as many people she is working with. I got a part-time job at Outback Steakhouse for extra money. I am really enjoying getting out of the house and earning some extra income. I only work about 3 nights per week, but I really like it.

Christina's Baby Shower

My cousin, Christina, is expecting a little baby boy in early November. We had a baby shower for her a couple of weeks ago. My aunt and I both have birthdays in November, so we are hoping that the little guy arrives on one of our birthdays.
Christina lived with me for awhile after her mother passed away six years ago from breast cancer. Back then, Christina was just incredibly sad and depressed b/c she was so close to my aunt. She has matured and grown into a beutiful woman, and I am so proud of her. I know she will be a great mother, and I am saddened that my aunt cannot be here to see her new grandbaby.

Christina

My grandmother and the spread of food that the Russell's are famous for

The cake

My cousin, Linsey's little girl

The sixth and seventh months

Well, Gabe has done alot in the past month. He started crawling about a month ago, and now he has it down. Then, the other day when we went into his room, he was standing in his crib. Yesterday, when I left him alone for a sec, I came back and he was standing up holding onto the sofa cushion. Yes, I think he will be walking before he turns 9 months. I did not expect these things so early, so the house is not childproofed in any way, shape, or form.
Most days, Gabriel is a blast. I am completely in love with that little baby. Right now, he is getting his second tooth on the bottom, and he has been very very cranky. He gets more fun each and every day. I also love to see the relationship that he and Brendon have developed. He gets so excited to see his big brother every day. Brendon has shown no signs of jealousy at all. He loves his brother so much. When it is time to do homework, I have a very difficult time peeling Brendon away from playing with Gabriel. It is really so sweet. I love the brother bond that they have, even with them being so far apart in age.




This is not really a good picture of me, but I put it up anyway. Last week my mom kept the baby so that me and Eric could have a night on the town. We really enjoyed ourselves and look forward to doing that again sometime.

I have been trying to remember to take more pictures of Gabriel than I did of Brendon when he was a baby. So here they are:

I decided to try to find a part-time job, since Eric has had difficulty finding something a little more permanant. Unfortunately the job market is terrible right now. I applied at Outback Steakhouse, and I got a job! I have never worked in a restauraunt, but I am going to try my hand at it. I really love the hours b/c I don't even have to be there until 6. I am going to go in 3 nights a week, and stay for 4 hours. It is really ideal for our family b/c I can still stay home with my kids and make some extra income. I am very excited, and it will get me out of the house after a long day with the kids.

On the Brendon front, we have been have some difficulty with laziness. He has decided that he doesn't want to study or do his homework. I am starting to let him make more decisions on his own, but he will have to pay the consequences for bad grades. On his midterm report, he was still on the honor roll, but this laziness will catch up with him. I am trying to make him learn a little responsibility and accountability. Those are life lessons, that he needs to learn. Unfortunately, sometimes we have to learn those things the hard way, and I am afraid that is the path Brendon is taking. He wants to become very active in Boys Scouts, and he won't be able to if he cannot keep his grades up. I have already told him this, but I think he is testing us to see if we will follow through. Just pray for Brendon as he approaches his teenage years. Actually, you may want to send your prayer to me and Eric:) I want us to teach Brendon to be a good man one day, and sometimes that can be a long and difficult process.

Tooth

Well, it finally happened, Gabriel got his first tooth last week. After a week of no sleep, it finally broke through. I have no pictures of it b/c he will not let me look at it. It is on the bottom. He has also in the beginning stages of crawling. He can crawl for a couple of seconds, and then falls over. Cute baby pics will be posted soon. Stay tuned.

Birthday and a half birthday for my boys

Yesterday I took Gabriel to the doctor for his six month checkup. All is well with the little guy. He weighed 16lbs 8 oz (35th percentile) and he was 27 inches long (75th percentile). He is growing well, and learning new things every day. His temperment has definately calmed down alot, and he is playing in his crib and pack and play with more contentment. Gabriel is on a regular napping schedule, and sometimes will sleep up to 2 1/2 hrs. in one nap. Gabe still wakes up at night to feed, but usually only once or twice. The first feeding is around 10, when I am still up. Mommy and Daddy are definately getting more sleep these days. Gabe is currently getting up on his hands and knees in a crawling position. I do believe he will be crawling in the next month. If you put and object in front of him while he is on his hands and knees, he will try to go after it. He is such a joy and blessing to our family. God has really blessed me with a wonderful family that I love so much.


Brendon had his 11th birthday on August 26th. He decided that instead of just having a couple of friends go somewhere, that he wanted to invite everyone to our house. We had about 30 people over here, and I did a cookout. Brendon had a fantastic time, and got some great gifts. Me, Eric, and Becky got Brendon a new bike (Schwinn), and he can't stay off of it. He really loved it.

Here he is thanking my dad for his game Cornhole. He loves that game, so dad bought it for his birthday. We have played with it alot. It is really a fun game.

The same lady that made my cakes growing up, has made most of Brendon's birthday cakes. She also did my wedding cake, and is incredibly talented. The cake is always moist, and the icing delish. Here is Brendon about to blow out the candles.

I think that Brendon's 11th year is going to be a challenge. He is really starting to develop that teenage attitude. All in all, Brendon is such a great kid. I love to be around him, and do things with him. I can't believe I have a "tween"! He will be in middle school next year...

Happy Birthday!

Happy 11th Birthday to Brendon! Time has flown. I cannot believe that Brendon is a "tween". Oh, and today is Gabriel's half birthday! My babies are getting big! I love you both soooo much. I will post pics later today of the birthday party.