Birthday Weekend!

 Gavin is 3 months old already!  This past weekend we celebrated my birthday which was a lot of fun.  The only thing I wanted for my birthday was to NOT travel. . . and I got my wish!  Annie and Papa came over to Cedar Falls on Saturday afternoon so Brian and I went out to dinner on Saturday evening.  On Sunday we grilled and then had homemade angel food cake and homemade ice cream.  The boys were excited about getting to help blow out the candles.  I asked Austin and Colton how old they thought I was . . . Austin "Probably like 15" and Colton "You're 8 Mama!"  So, I'll go with those numbers for this year! 

First Day of School!

 Austin is starting 4-a-day preschool this year!  He will go to school M, T, Th and F afternoons!  He is very excited to get back to school and play with his friends!  This was the best smiley face I could get from him . . . as you can see from the eyebrows, he is EXTREMELY excited!  So, when I asked Austin what he wanted to be when he grew up he said, "A Ninja or a Space person who flies in rocketships!"  The following pictures are of my two little ninjas!

Summer Vacation!

 

Well, Austin had a summer vacation bucket list that had many different things on it.  I feel like everyone in the entire family pitched in to help make everything on his list hapen.  One of the things that was on the list was jumping off of a dock.  Well, that one ended up being an easy one to cross off because Grandma and Grandpa Kliegl put a dock in the lake by their house!  We got to go spend a few days in Emmetsburg and they were very relaxing and very fun days for all of us.  Austin and Colton spent quite a bit of time running and jumping off the dock.  They also enjoyed the beach and the park while we were there.  Austin helped pick snap peas and green beans out of the garden too.  Gavin enjoyed all of the cuddle time he got with grandma and grandpa while we were there!

 

Gavin turned 2 months old on July 22nd!  He is growing so fast.  On July 22nd, he weighed 14.5 lbs and was roughly 22 inches long!

We drove to Monument, CO in the mini-van to visit Jon and Clare for nine days at the beginning of August.  Annie and Papa drove with us so we had a packed car!  The boys were great travellers.  As long as we were watching a DVD or reading books the two big boys did a great job.  Gavin also travelled really well and only got really fussy when the trip was almost over . . . everyone was tired of being in the car by then so you couldn't really blame him for wanting to get out of his carseat.  The below picture is Clare and Colton doing the dishes.  They are making cupcakes together!  The cupcakes turned out great and Colton loved all the special attention he got from Aunt Clare!

 One of the other items on Austin's list was climbing a mountain.  So, we went to the Garden of the Gods one day and climbed around on all of the big rock formations.  It was a lot of fun and both Austin and Colton did a fantastic job getting up and down the different rocks.  It was beautiful scenery and we enjoyed a picnic lunch here as well!

 

After the Garden of the Gods we went to the Cave of the Winds.  This was a really neat tour and something that we all really enjoyed. 

 I gave Gavin a bath in the sink in the guest bathroom while we were there.  Gavin loved staring in the mirror and looking at everyone through the mirror.  I thought this was a cute picture that captured not just Gavin checking things over but also Colton, who was keeping a close eye on his little brother.

 We went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and got to feed the giraffe's!  So cool!  It was amazing how close to them you could be.  We were able to actually pet the giraffe's and feed them lettuce!  The entire zoo was a lot of fun.  All of the animals were really active and up close to us.  It was a really neat day.  The boys also enjoyed the carousel with Clare while we were at the zoo!

And then my camera battery died . . . .

We also celebrated Papa's birthday with a cake and candles, went to the airforce base and the boys got to go to The North Pole, which is a Santa-themed amusement park one day.  So much to see and do that Austin and Colton have already asked when we get to go to Jon's house again!!  Sad that summer is over but so happy to have gotten to do so many fun things in the last three months!

All of us!

This weekend Annie and Papa came to pick up the boys and take them to Fort Dodge for a few days.  We spent time playing outside, running errands and we went swimming at Jeff and Jamie's pool.  The boys had a great time showing off their jump styles.  Kevin and Brian threw Austin up into the air a bunch of times and Austin loved it and wanted to do that over and over again.  Colton enjoyed just jumping off of the side of the pool to Brian.  Brian fed Gavin from a bottle for the first time last Monday.  Gavin drank the bottle down like a champ!  He also grew out of his bassinet over the last week so last night (Sunday), he spent his first night in the crib.  I cannot believe how big he is getting but I also couldn't believe how little he looked lying in the crib! 



Happy 4th of July!

Gavin at one month.  I couldn't quite catch a smile but I was happy to get one with his eyes open.  He doesn't look particularly amused with what was going on!!  When I took this picture he weighed 14lbs and 6 oz

Gavin getting ready for the big 4th of July celebration at Nick and Courtney's house!  What a little sweetie!

We spent the weekend seeing friends and family.  We went to Twin Lakes on Friday and got to spend the entire day with four of my girlfriends from highschool, their husbands, and all of their kids!  It was a fun day!  On Saturday we got up and headed to Nick and Courtney's to celebrate the 4th of July and Brian's birthday!  Austin and Colton had a lot of fun blowing out the candles over and over again!  The weather was perfect and we spent as much time as possible outdoors.  The boys played on a slip-n-slide, ran around with water guns and got to try their hand at bags!



Sturgis Falls 2013

 Sturgis Falls was this past weekend at Cedar Falls.  We missed out on the parade Saturday morning because it was pouring rain.  So, instead of the parade, we went to Chuck E Cheese's with Jamie, Jeff and Keller.  After that we headed down to the carnival by the river.  The above picture was a shot of the boys in a monkey ride.  It was one that spins and moves in a circle and they both really liked it.

 Austin and Colton and Brian all enjoyed the carousel!

 And in this one Austin and Colton are the last two, in the fourth car back.  Austin had his hands up in the air for most of the ride and Colton was grinning from ear to ear and loved every minute of it.  Brian and I were a little skeptical on if Colton would like it or not but it was definitely his favorite one!

 Ice Cream sandwiches on Annie and Papa's deck!  We met Grandma and Grandpa Kliegl in Fort Dodge on Sunday night so that the boys could go spend a few days in Emmetsburg.  So far they are loving it.  Colton has already caught a fish off the dock and Austin has already made a friend at the park!  So, they are having a wonderful time in Emmetsburg.  Meanwhile back in Cedar Falls . . .

 Gavin is definitely enjoying the silence at home!  ;)  He took a three hour nap lying on the couch.  We also had a quiet mommy/Gavin day and just got laundry done and played in the living room a lot.  He is a precious little guy and it is nice to just have him to focus on for a few days!!

Such a sweet baby boy!

Gavin hanging out!

These are just a few pictures of Gavin! 

Being "Bart Simpson".

 Tons of serious faces from Gavin all the time.  I was trying to catch one of the wrinkled forhead.  He makes this adorable 'concerned' face every once in awhile that is so hard to capture!

And here is Gavin, taking a snooze.  He loves being curled up in a ball when he sleeps and this boppy pillow seems to help.  It kind of holds him so that I can put him down for a few minutes and get something else done.  Of course I would love to just hold him and rock all day!!!