Thanksgiving in St. Louis

Our Thanksgiving this year was wonderful! We visited my Aunt Annette and her family in St. Louis. On Thanksgiving Day, the weather was so beautiful that John and Spencer went golfing in shorts and t-shirts! Annette, my cousin Megan and I stayed home and prepared our Thanksgiving dinner. I had a great time cooking and visiting in the kitchen with them. After dinner, which was so yummy, the guys did dishes and everyone was too full to even eat pie. So I think we all ended up having pie for breakfast the next morning. Friday, John and Spencer watched Gabe while the girls went to see Twilight and then they ended up golfing again that afternoon. We had such a nice, relaxing Thanksgiving. Thanks Annette, Spencer and Megan!
On our way out of town on Saturday we stopped to do a little sight seeing at the Gateway Arch. Apparantley, everyone else in the continental US had the same idea!  We waited for over 45 minutes outside in the cold just to get inside security.  About half of that time Gabe was crying and whining because we were standing in line and not doing anything.  It was only when I let him pick garbage up off the ground and jump on it that he was happy.  Anything to keep him from crying right? (FYI:  I drew the line at cigarette butts.)  Anyway, we finally got inside the building and all we saw were more and more lines!!!  Arrrrrgh!  We really wanted to see the documentary about the construction of the arch and take the tram ride to the top, but with Gabe's mood and the prospect of spending hours in more lines we decided against it.  We did a quick stop in the museum and gift shop before leaving.  At least we got to see the arch right?  
Funny side note: Remember my post a while back about my brother teaching Gabe that the pig says "moo?" Well, my aunt's dog's is named Kitty. Gabe's going to have some serious issues . . .

My Thanksgiving Thankfulls

1.  The Gospel:  I am so thankful for the church in my life!  For the light, knowledge and direction it gives me in this scary world.  I am thankful for the peace it brings to my life, my home and my family.  I am grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ, for the sacrifice he made for each of us.  I am thankful for eternal families!  Knowing that I can be with my family forever brings me such joy!

2.  My Family:  I am so thankful for ALL my family!  I am so thankful to have a husband who works hard to provide for our family so I can stay home and be a mom.  I am so thankful for Gabe and for his enthusiasm for life.  He has brought so much joy & fun to our little family!

3.  Technology:  This one is kind of strange, but it is something I am truly thankful for.  I am thankful for computers, email, blogs, and phones.  Staying in touch with friends and family makes me feel like we don't live quite so far away.      

4.  People with Wings:  I am so thankful for all the people who have taken our little family under their wings and cared for us.  

While John was attending USU I worked everyday with the sweetest ladies in the world . . . and Marty.  We went through a lot together and I will always be grateful to them for taking such good care of us!  I was pregnant with Gabe while working in that office.  Going to work everyday was like going to work with 3 of my moms.  I was so spoiled!  To Nancy, Colleen, and Karen: we love you and miss you!

It wasn't long before Gabe had a set of adoptive grandparents here in Dayton.  To Grandma Jan and Papa Jim: It is a blessing to have you in our lives and a comfort knowing you're always there for us!

5.  Freedom:  I love America and am so thankful to live in this country.  I am thankful for the men and women, past and present, who've paid for my freedom with their lives.  I am thankful for the men and women who wake up half a world away and go to work everyday to continue to preserve the freedoms we often take for granted.  

Papa Jim: The other day Jan told us about what "you were fighting for" and it meant a lot to us. Our country is blessed to have men like you fighting for us!  Have a Happy Thanksgiving and stay safe!  

Call me crazy . . .

My Christmas decorations are out and they are up! Can you tell I'm excited for Christmas? John was working late last night, so I was home alone on yet another Friday night with nothing to do. So I figured why not put up Christmas? This way it'll be all done when we get back from Thanksgiving and we won't have to worry about it!

Okay, I have to add a funny story here. Gabe was looking at the ornaments on the Christmas tree today and he kept pointing to one of Santa Claus and saying, "itch." We couldn't figure out what he was saying for a while, but every time he pointed to that particular ornament he said the same thing, "itch." I just figured out he was calling it a "witch!" Nope, it wasn't a witch it was Santa wearing a red pointy hat. I guess it's time to teach him more about Christmas and Santa Claus!

The Birthday Boy

Gabe at 2 years old:
Favorite foods: grapes, cheese, craisins, fruit snacks, apples, eggs.
Beverage of choice: apple juice or chocolate milk.
Favorite movie: Signing Time, Cars, and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Favorite TV show: Clifford, Curious George, Word World, and Super Why.
Can't live without: his blanket and his snugly (a miniature version of his blanket).
Favorite place to visit: the park
Fears: almost nothing. Although Lord Farkwad on the movie Shrek used to scare him.
Favorite song: Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree
Favorite phrases: "tunnel broke" "I'm coming" "good job" "I get it" "Daddy. . . work" "huh?"  "tractor. . . dirt"  "I win"  "I did it"
Big words he says: tennis, cartoons, nursery, hippopotomas, elephant, animals, shower, snowman, computer, helicopter.
Favorite toys: balls, tools, cars, tractors, trains, you know . . . boy toys!
Favorite color: well, each day each color has a new name so we're not sure . . .
Hobbies: horseback riding (Dad's the horse of course), reorganizing Mom's kitchen, jammin' with Dad on the guitar or "ding-ding" as Gabe calls it.
Obsessions: lights being ON, finding the moon in the sky, getting food out of the fridge.
Sleep habits: 12 hours a night and a 90 minute nap seem to suit him just fine.

Favorite game: hide and seek, being roughed up (tickled, thrown on the couch, tossed in the air,  etc.).

Food Storage

John and I have felt like squirrels the past couple of weeks as we've worked on gathering food and supplies for our family's long term food storage. We got a good base started and can easily build on our supply now that we know what we are doing. Half the battle of getting this done was figuring out what we were doing. I feel a huge sense of relief to have just this much done! It's something that has been on my to-do list for so long. There's still a lot more to do, but at least we've started and it doesn't feel so overwhelming now. So here's what we did:

We got a great deal on 5 gallon buckets from the Home Depot. $2.98/bucket + $0.99 for the lids with rubber seals.
For just over $100 at the Cannery in Columbus we got:
100 lbs wheat
50 lbs rice
50 lbs pinto beans
50 lbs flour
We put dry ice in the bottom of the buckets, poured the food in, let the dry ice sublimate, then sealed the lids. The dry ice replaces oxygen in the bucket with CO2, which will also kill any bugs or bacteria. Pretty simple, I thought it was going to be a lot more work! The hardest part was running around to get all of the supplies.

Click for info on how to store food using dry ice from Provident Living.org.

Boy oh Boy!

The results are in, and it looks like there's soon to be another boy in the house!

Gabe's having surgery . . .

Today I was watching a show on TV about a lady who was going to get a tummy tuck. The doctor was making marks on her stomach with a marker showing where he would cut and remove excess skin. I was watching this show, crafting at the same time and not really paying much attention to Gabe. He apparently had been watching the show, because the next thing I knew he came over to me, pulled up his shirt, and said, "Mommy, look!" He had prepped himself for his own tummy tuck!

Happy Halloween

Our Halloween fun started last weekend with our ward's Trunk or Treat. It was mass chaos, but it was fun! When we got to church on Sunday Gabe started saying "Trick or Treat?" No trick or treating today Gabe, just church.
Saturday we drove to the Columbus Zoo for an event called Boo at the Zoo. It was great! Lots of kids were dressed up in their costumes, there were trick or treating stations set up around the zoo, and pumpkins were given to different animals. It was cute to see what the animals would do with a pumpkin. Our favorite was the sun bear, the monkeys were pretty cute with the pumpkin too.
We carved our pumpkins on Wednesday. Gabe had fun scooping out the guts and taking bites out of the pumpkins. Yuck! Once the guts were gone he pretty much lost interest in the project.
Thursday was "Beggars Night." This is when all the kids go trick or treating around here. They do it the night before Halloween so that the kids aren't out on the streets since there could potentially be a lot of drunk drivers on Halloween night. We took Gabe trick or treating and he had a fun time! Our neighbors brought a wagon to pull the kids in and Gabe was more interested in riding in the wagon than getting treats, but after a while he figured the system out. He was a trooper and trick or treated for close to two hours! What a fun holiday, I love Halloween!

I'm a Bella

Okay, for all you Twilight Fans this is kind of fun. I saw this on someone elses blog and had to try it. I turned out to be a Bella. John took the quiz and his results showed that he is a Jasper. Which character are you? Who do you think your spouse would be?

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!


Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Cheap Gas

I filled my car up with gas yesterday for $2.05 a gallon!
It feels like the dropping gas prices are the only good thing coming out of the messy economy right now.

Cousins

I just found this video of Gabe, Adyson, Zoe & Alex playing at Ryan & Kellianne's wedding. It's cute to see all of them playing together . . . well, until Gabe kicks Adyson in the head. He was such a beast that night! I wish we could all be together more often!

10 Things I Love About Gabe Right Now

1. Talking: He has started to say so many things and he's always amazing me with the things he says. One of my favorite things right now is when he calls me "honey." He'll often exclaim, "Awwwwww, Huuuuney!" It wasn't until he started saying it that I realized how often I call both him and John "honey."
2. Pretending: He is starting to pretend more and more. Right now the game we are playing is "eating cake." Gabe will get a spatula out of the kitchen, scoop up a slice of cake out from underneath the kitchen rug, then bring it to John or I to eat.
3. Church: He's a handful at church right now . . . no, correct that, he's always been . . . but, we have gotten a few good laughs out of it lately. He loves to lead the music in sacrament meeting and clap when the singing is over. A couple weeks ago John was saying the prayer in sacrament meeting and Gabe happily yelled, "Daddy! Daddy!" throughout the prayer. He does the same thing when John sings in the choir or helps out with a baby blessing. Notice a pattern? We're working on the whole being quiet in church thing. He also loves nursery! Last week, the instant amen was said for the closing prayer Gabe started jumping up and down shouting, "Nursery! Nursery!" I love that he loves nursery!
4. Books: He is still a little boy that loves to be read to. He's also started reading books to us, which is very entertaining. His favorite books still involve tractors, dirt, cars or airplanes. And he finishes a book by saying, "amen."
5. Outside: Gabe would be outside all day long if I let him. He loves playing at the park, going for walks, etc. Today it's been raining all day so I've had to find some activities to keep him busy. Note the finger painting pictures from today!
6. Imitating: He's into imitating almost anything John or I do. Wearing hats, carrying purses, putting on makeup, shaving, cooking, doing laundry, etc. (Just yesterday he started the washing machine all by himself.) However, a couple of days ago John and I realized it wasn't just us he's imitating, but things he sees on TV as well. We watched "A Christmas Story" last Sunday. You know the movie about Ralphy and the Red Rider BB gun? Remember the part where the mom tries to get the younger brother to eat his dinner? The kid won't eat so she has him pretend to be a piggy and eat his food like a pig by putting his face right in the food and snarfing it up. So Gabe totally dug into his lasagna the other night just like a little piggy! Wow! It's amazing the things they see and remember!
7. Hugs & Kisses: Gabe gives the best hugs and kisses! Who wouldn't love that?
8.  Nap time & Bedtime:  Gabe takes a pretty good nap everyday and doesn't complain about going down very often.  He also goes to bed so easily as long as we stick to his schedule.  As much as I love the dear boy, I cherish nap time and bedtime so I can have a little time to myself.  Speaking of that, he just woke up from his nap, so this post is now going to be titled: 8 Things I love about Gabe!

Pumpkins or "Punkins" as Gabe would say

I've been talking to Gabe about Halloween lately. We've been practicing saying "Trick or Treat," spotting pumpkins, etc. So last night for Family Night we took Gabe to the pumpkin patch to buy our pumpkins. He was so excited that he was going to get a pumpkin! (He keeps trying to take pumpkins off other people's porches.) So we get to the pumpkin patch and it had just closed! We drove down the street to another one and it was closed too. Bummer! No pumpkins for Family Night. John was home from work this morning so we went and got our pumpkins bright and early. Gabe had a ball running around all the pumkins, kicking them, and knocking them over. When we got home he didn't want to leave his pumpkin outside on the porch, he wanted to take it inside and eat it. Well, that wasn't happening. All our pumpkins, including Gabes, are on our front porch anxiously awaiting the day their guts will be scraped out with a spoon.

French Onion Soup

I tried this recipe for dinner last night and it was so yummy! Even John really liked it and he doesn't like French Onion Soup.

2 tbs butter
5 medium red onions, thinly sliced
3 cans (14 oz) chicken broth (6 cups)
1 can (14 oz) beef broth (2 cups)
1/4 cup grape juice
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
salt
black pepper

1. Melt butter in large pot over med-high heat. Add the onions and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir to coat the onions thoroughly with butter.
2. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are reduced and syrupy, 20-30 minutes. The bottom of the pot will be coated with a brown crust. Adjust your heat to make sure this is browned and not burned.
3. Sitr in the chicken and beef broths, grape juice, parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen all the yummy brown bits. Simmer 20 minutes.
4. Stir in balsalmic vinegar and season with salt and pepper if needed.
5. Serve topped with croutons and lots of cheese. If your bowls are oven safe place them under the broiler for 5 minutes to melt and crisp the cheese for a nice finish.

Family Pictures

The other day I attempted to get family pictures of John, Gabe and myself. What an ordeal!
We all got dressed in our color coordinated clothes and the warning was given - "Don't Get Dirty!" So naturally John gave Gabe a cup of orange juice without a lid on it. I hurried and swapped it for a sippy cup so we didn't end up with OJ on his clothes. So we swap the cups and I kid you not on his first drink from the sippy cup he gags and coughs OJ all over his outfit. Okay, no biggy he's two let's just spot his shirt and get the pictures taken before anything else happens. Well somehow John ended up with cherry Crystal Light on his shirt! So he runs to the laundry room to treat the stain and came out a couple minutes later with a wet spot on his shirt saying, "See, it'll be fine. I used that little pen thingy to treat it." I started to laugh because the only "pen thing" we have in the laundry room is a bleach pen. So he totally bleached his blue shirt! So much for color coordinated outfits . . . oh well.
Our next problem was we were taking pictures in between conference sessions so we were on a two hour time limit. So we couldn't deal with clothing issues any longer, we had to get out the door and get the pictures taken. We got the the State Park where I wanted to have our pictures taken and everyone else in Ohio was there too. No biggy, just ironic that every other time we've been there the place has been deserted and today we were tripping over people as we walked down the trail. The place I wanted to take pictures I remembered being just a short walk from the parking lot . . . my memory was a little off because I think we walked for almost a mile before just picking a different spot. So now we were all nice and sweaty, Gabe was screaming because he just wanted to play in the river, and John was freaking out because I made us leave the trail and go down by the river for our pictures despite all of the stay on the trail signs. Anyway, I just don't think the stars were correctly aligned that day for us. We took a few pictures, none of which turned out great, and then decided to just bag it and try again another day. John and I were getting frustrated with each other, Gabe was not happy being forced to sit still, and we wanted to get back home to listen to conference, so we had to just say oh well. Here's some of the pictures we did take and hopefully soon we'll have some better pics to share.

Scary Story

I'm starting to think some of Gabe's toys are possessed by demons that think it's funny to scare me. Here's my freaky toy stories.

Case #1: One night John was working late so I was home alone. Gabe was in bed, the house was silent, all the lights were off, doors locked and I was sitting in the front room at the computer when from the kitchen I hear a woman's voice say, "Won't you come play with me?" I freaked out! Someone was in our house! I jumped up and turned on all the lights I could expecting to see someone standing in the kitchen, but no one was there! No, it turned out to be Gabe's toy car that sings songs, recites the alphabet, and apparently now gets lonely late at night in the dark! Freaky little car. While Gabe was playing with the hose this summer he started hosing down the freaky car. At first I stopped him, thinking if you get the car wet . . . it won't work anymore. So, naturally I let him continue to hose down the car. Pretty soon it was making sick computer gurgling garbled death noises and then it quit making noise all together . . . Ding, dong the witch is dead! About a day later, it started talking again.

Case #2: A few months ago John and I were both awoken from a dead sleep by the tune "Here we go Luby Loo, Here we go luby lye, Here we go Luby Loo, all on a Saturday night." We both sat straight up in bed because we knew exactly where that music was coming from! It was one of Gabe's toy cars again. The thing that freaked us out about this car is the fact that it is motion activated. Meaning SOMEONE has to walk past it in order for it to make noise! So we get up and do a search of the house trying to find the car and trying to find whatever made it go off . . . okay, okay, John searched the house, while I stayed where scardy cats stay, in bed. Alas, the search resulted in nothing, not even the car. Hmmmm. Mysterious.
(We found the car the next morning in our closet.)

Case #3: Last night at the lovely hour of 3AM I was again awoken by the sound of one of Gabe's toys! What's going on with the toys in our house??? This time it was his fire truck. Weee wooo weee wooo wee wooo. John slept through this one. Well, he slept through it until I woke him up to search the house! Again, nothing. Just demonic toys. Did I mention you have to push a button to make the fire truck make that noise? Does anyone else ever get freaked out by their kids toys or is it just me?

Happy Birthday Taylor!

We love you, we miss you, we think your the greatest (despite the things you taught our son)!
Have a great birthday!
Love,
John, Rach and Gabe

Rachel?

Today when Gabe woke up from his nap he started calling the usual, "Mommy. Mommy." I guess I didn't respond fast enough, because before I knew it he stopped calling for "Mommy" and started yelling for "Rachel!"  Rachel?  I didn't know he even knew my name! It sure made me laugh though. I love that I am constantly being amazed by him, it makes life interesting.

We're Back!

After being away for two months we are finally home again! We pulled in around 3AM this morning, tired, but happy to be home. John had to get up and go to work this morning, ugh. For me the job of unpacking was just too overwhelming to face today, so I played around with the pictures from our trip to Utah instead. I hope you all enjoy the product of my laziness!

We'll be back soon . . . I promise!

You know how your favorite TV shows go on hiatus during the summer? Well, that's what's happening with our blog (and I know it's your favorite). We promise some fun summer posts as soon as life gets back to normal . . . whatever that is! In the meantime, here's a couple cute summer pictures.

Happy 4th of July!

This 4th of July marked the one year anniversary of our move to Ohio.  Well, just over a year actually, but the 4th was the first day we got out and enjoyed the community last year.  John and I were talking today about how fast the year flew by and how much has happened.  I can't believe how much Gabe has grown.  He's grown from a baby into a little boy since we've been here.  Where did the time go?  We were also talking about all of the places we've been in the past year and it turned out to be quite the list: Langley, VA, Washington D.C., Montgomery, AL, Boston, MA, Nashville, TN, Kirtland, Columbus and Cincinnati, OH, St. Louis, MO, Nauvoo, IL, and lots of other places in between.  It's been a busy year with lots of changes for our little family, but we've had a great time!

  

For not having any plans today, we actually ended up having a pretty busy day.  John started the day bright and early - at 7am he was cooking a pancake breakfast for our ward.  Gabe and I rolled in about 8am and enjoyed some breakfast.  Home again by 10am we all took naps and then were off to our neighbors house for a BBQ.  However, it was raining, so we all crammed inside their house to eat and mingle.  Their little boy has a TON of toys, so Gabe was thoroughly entertained the entire time!  After the indoor BBQ we came back home and Jim and Jan (Gabe's adopted grandparents) came over to get in some baby time with Gabe.  Jim is deploying to Afghanistan soon so it was nice to spend a little time with him before he leaves.  After another quick nap for Gabe we were off to the Beavercreek Parade.  Total small town parade, the most exciting things were the fire engines, but Gabe LOVED it!  He waved to everyone as they passed by and he hit the jackpot with candy!  His cowboy hat was full of candy by the time the parade was over.  The parade started at 6pm and we were home by 7:15.  Short and sweet!  (The perfect parade in our opinion.)  And yes, I am wearing a sweatshirt in the picture!  It was overcast and a marvelous 60 degrees for the parade.     

Freedom's Call Tattoo

Friday night we went to the annual Tattoo held at the base. It is a patriotic celebration that consisted of airplane fly overs, music by the Charlie Daniel's Band and fireworks. Gabe had a ball running around and watching the fly overs. Every time a plane would fly by he would clap his hands and ask for more. Looks like we'll have to take him to an air show this summer! I love this picture of him sitting with our neighbor Katie watching the fireworks. So cute! We had a fun night and best of all it was free!

"Left to Tell"

I just finished reading a great book called "Left to Tell." It is one survivors story of her experience during the Rwandan holocoust. To be honest it sat in my house for a couple of months before I picked it up to read because it just didn't have "curb appeal." However, once I picked it up I flew threw it and now want to recommend it to all my loyal blog readers. I usually read one book a year that changes my life and although it's still early in the year I would venture to guess that this book will be my pick this year. It really touched me and was a good reminder of what a blessed life I live. It also made me want to teach my son the importance of faith, hope, forgiveness, and trust in God. I couldn't help but compare Immaculee to the Stripling Warriors. I love this scripture in Alma 56:47

Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

I want Gabe to be prepared like the Strippling Warriors and like Imaculee. To face life without fear, always trusting and having faith in God. I love to read Gabe a book called "Because of You." It's a great reminder that from small things great things can come.

Because of You

By: B.G. Hennessy
Each time a child is born the world changes
When you were born, there was a new person for your family to love and care for.
And because of you, there is one more person who can love and care for others.
Because of you, there is one more person who will grow and learn and one more person who can teach others.
Because of you, there is one more person to share with.
And there is one more person who can share feeling and ideas, as well as things.
Because of you, there is one more person who needs help and one more person who can help others.
When you help, care, share and listen, you are being kind.
When two people help, care, share and listen to each other, they are friends.
When people from different countries help, care, share, and listen to one another, it is called peace.
Even something as big and important as peace begins with something small and precious.
It might begin because of you.

May we all teach our children peace, love, tolerance, faith and forgiveness. Maybe because of us we can make this world a better place.

Happy Father's Day!

Today I am especially grateful for my wonderful husband and for what a great dad he is to Gabe (and the 14 other children we would have if he had things his way).
I love that John loves to play with Gabe. He is always giving Gabe "horsey rides" which always end with Gabe being bucked off onto the couch, taking him to the park, taking him on bike rides, and he never minds letting Gabe practice hitting golf balls with him in the yard. Gabe is always tagging along with Dad when he's working in the garage, or on one of our cars, or something around the house. If there's tools involved - Gabe's there! And John is so patient to let him "help."
So, to my wonderful hubby on Father's Day I would like to say: It's not just the rough housing, the tickling and all fun you have that makes you a great dad. It's the fact that you love your family, provide for us and set a great example of what a Dad should be. We love you! Thanks for being a great Dad!

All Things Potty

Gabe is very interested in the potty right now. So these are the types of movies we've been watching at our house lately. I'll admit the Loony Tunes video is probably NOT the best one to let Gabe watch, but he giggles uncontrollably when he watches it - so I let him watch it because he's so cute. I might really regret that decision later. . . he's already a toiletpaper flushing maniac!

Stream of Visitors Comes to an End

John's parents - aka Grandpa Wayne & Grandma Rosie - visited us over the Memorial Day weekend.  It was especially fun for John to see them since he hasn't seen in almost a year now.  (Gabe & I went home in December and got to visit all of our family while John was in Alabama.)  It was a great time for his parents to come and visit since he had so much time off of work this weekend.  They flew in on Thursday afternoon, Friday was a family day so John was home, Saturday and Sunday he was home, and Monday was a holiday.  So he ended up only having to take one day of leave on Tuesday and was able to spend a ton of time with his Mom and Dad while they were here.  

Here's the highlights from their trip:

1.  John set apart as EQ president in our ward

2.  Wayne visited Snuffy Ross an old friend from the Navy.  The rest of us went to the Aquarium in Cincinnati.

3.  Amish Country!  This was the one thing John's parents really wanted to do while they were here.  So we took them to Lehman's store and it was like taking kids to a candy shop!  They loved it and have already started making their wish lists!  Rose also found the Amish made kitchen table and chairs that she wanted in the first furniture store we stopped at.  

4.  John took his parents to the Air Force museum on Monday morning.  That afternoon we had lunch/dinner and dessert at The Greene and let Gabe play in the water fountain there.  

To all of our family who have been to visit us in the last month:  Thank you, we love you, and hope you will come again.  It's been a crazy, busy month, but we loved our time with each of you!  

Who Doesn't Love Bubble Wrap?

You have to try this! It's so fulfilling!
http://www.therightfoot.net/mystuff/whatever/swf/bubblewrap.swf

The Host

I just finished reading The Host, Stephenie Meyer's latest book. I was really excited she had a new book out since I loved her Twilight series, but this one left me very disappointed. I thought it was long, predictable, dark and even boring at times. With that said though, I did read it in two days and it's a pretty thick book, so I can't say I didn't like it. It just wasn't all that I hoped it would be. Didn't stack up to the Twilight series in my opinion.

Heartbroken

I am just heart broken this evening as I learn the news that Sister Karen Deschamps was killed in a car accident this morning. Just Saturday we met her and her husband. They were serving a mission for our church in Historic Kirtland Ohio. She was so sweet and patient with Gabe. He was being wild and crazy during the tour the Deschamps were taking us on and they were just so patient, understanding and accommodating to us. She understood little kids and spoke lovingly about her grand kids. She told us how excited she was for an upcoming visit this June from her family. She was especially excited to see her newest grand baby that had been born since they'd been on their mission. She also bore strong testimony of the Savior and His love for us.
My heart and prayers go out to their family and to her husband. He is currently in the hospital in critical condition. As sad as I am at this news I know that she is with the Savior now and she will be with her husband and family again. I love the principle of eternal families: the hope, peace and promise it brings us in death. This life is not the end - Sister Deschamps will be with her family again.

VisiT FroM PaPa & GrammY

After dropping my Mom off at the airport in Columbus on Tuesday I turned around and picked up my Dad and Cheryl on Wednesday. Here are some of the highlights from their visit:
1) Columbus Zoo: feeding the Lorikeets felt more like Alfred Hitchcock's movie 'The Birds'
2) Air Force Museum: BIG, with lots of airplanes. I let Gabe walk instead of riding in the stroller and we ended up having a few security breeches. . . he just wanted to touch EVERYTHING!
3) Longaberger Baskets & Amish Country: so beautiful! While walking into Lehman's Store in Kidron, Ohio an Amish girl and her sister approached us (very rare) and in broken English with a German accent she asked us for help finding a Kerosene stove. We pointed her into the store and told her there was a customer service desk right inside where she could get help. When we walked into the store shortly after them they were still looking very lost. So I approached them again and helped them through the various departments of the store until we finally found their stove. I can't even imagine how over whelming our busy world is to them and then to have a language barrier makes it even more difficult. It made me feel so good to be able to help them!
4) Historic Kirtland: We toured through all of the church history sites here. Some of my favorites were the N.K. Whitney store where the School of the Prophets was held, the Kirtland temple, and the John Johnson farm. The John Johnson farm was probably my favorite place. The spirit was very strong there and I couldn't help think of all the sacrifices Joseph made for the church. This is the place where he was drug from his bed in the middle of the night, beaten, tarred and feathered. After Emma spent all night pulling tar off his body he preached the next day on the front steps of the home. Stories like these always strengthen my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. The early saints of the church endured so much pain and persecution. There have been times when I've had to rely on their unwavering faith and testimonies to get me through times when I've had doubts about the gospel. Visiting that farm where Joseph and Emma endured so much & lost so much really helped strengthen my testimony. (This is also where their baby twins died.) Walking where they walked and seeing the lasting monuments of their faith helps to make them more real to me and not just stories we hear. Their testimonies and love for the gospel live on today in these places.
5) Mother's Day: It was nice to have family in town for Mother's Day! We attended church, then came home and had a roast for lunch. We were able to talk to all of our moms on the phone and we ended the day by watching some movies. Very nice, very relaxing.
Thanks Dad & Cheryl for such a great trip! It was great to have you here and to have Gabe be able to interact with his Papa and Grammy! We love you and will miss you!

VisiT FroM my MoM & CarLy

It has been so fun to have my Mom and Carly here the last two weeks. Gabe's had a ball having Carly around to play with and I have thoroughly enjoyed my Mom's company. Here are some highlights from their visit:
1) Gabe locking himself in our house: this involved a lot of tears and screaming (from both me and Gabe), a brave neighbor with a ladder, and a second story window. Enough said?
2) Visiting Young's Dairy Farm: one of Dayton's top tourist attractions. We had fun feeding the goats and seeing the newborn baby farm animals.
3) Trip to St. Louis to visit the Mortensen family: we enjoyed seeing the St. Louis Zoo and just spending time with the Mortensen family. Gabe especially loved their dog Kitty.
4) Touring Frank Lloyd Wright's Westcott House in Springfield, OH.
5) Celebrating 6 Years. John and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary on May 1st. My Mom was very sweet to stay home with the kids so John and I could go out and celebrate. We had dinner at Outback Steakhouse and then we went and saw a movie. It was soooo nice to have some alone time and not have to worry about Gabe! THANKS MOM!!!
6) Wearing the kids out! Check out how Carly fell asleep on her last night here. . .

Movie Time!

I was laughing with a friend the other day about how this should be called "Gabe's blog", not" John, Rachel and Gabe's blog".  But, he's pretty much my life right now so he's really all I really have to blog about.  Besides, he so cute, I can't help but show him off!  And Nancy, I even included a clip of Gabe AND ME at the end just for you!  Enjoy.

The Church Grandparents

One week while sitting in sacrament meeting a women behind us leaned forward and informed us that she was in love with our baby.  Fast forward a few months and we now call her Grandma Jan.  Jan and her husband, Jim, just adore Gabe and he adores them back!  In fact it's a struggle to get Gabe to sit with us at church because he would rather be sitting with Jim and Jan!  Last night Jan made a comment about how interesting it is that the Lord makes peoples paths cross at certain times in life.  When she said that I started thinking about how blessed we are to have crossed paths with them at this time in our life.  More than once Jan has dropped everything she had planned for her day and come to watch Gabe when I really needed some help.  And Sunday after Sunday, Jim patiently sits with Gabe in his lap, showing him the scriptures and helping him turn the pages.  He even shared his frosted brownie with Gabe at dinner on Sunday. Now that's love!
Jim and Jan, you have been such a blessing to us! Thanks for falling in love with our baby!

Gabe - The Attack Baby

Gabe's uncle Matt calls Gabe "the attack baby" and today Gabe lived up to the name. While we were walking to the park Gabe actually attacked his own shadow. His shadow was right in front of him and he just went nuts! He got down on his hands and knees and started smacking it and then chasing it on all fours! Once he calmed down a bit I tried to teach him about shadows, but I think he is still quite determined to catch his.

The Classics

I love to read, and I read a lot of books.  I love a page turner, something that grips you from page one.  However, I have this huge list of classic novels that I want to read before I die.  I force myself to pick one up at the library and read it along with those page turners.  Sometimes I really enjoy them and sometimes I feel like I am torturing myself with this goal.  Just recently I have finished Emily Bronte's, "Wuthering Heights" and Jane Austen's, "Mansfield Park."  During both of these I asked myself, "Why do I do this to myself?"  Then just the other day while watching a movie a reference was made to a character being just like Heathcliff.  It was then I had the Ah Ha! moment I needed to know why I torture myself so.  Knowing who Heathcliff was in that moment was totally awesome!  I also love it when I find myself using phrases like, "Pray, Mr. Heaton, do tell me how was your day?" So I continue diligently with my goal of reading the classics (intermingled with mysteries, love stories, vampires and werewolves . . . is anyone else dying to know what happens to Bella, Edward and Jacob?).

Enjoying some spring!

This past week 5 of the 12 families in our cul de sac moved.  There was one day when there were 3 moving trucks parked in our circle at once (and these aren't little Uhauls, they are semi trucks).  We weren't close to any of the families that moved from our circle, but we lost 20 families from our ward all at once.  Including one of my good friends, Tammy, who is moving to Germany.  I am sad to see them go, but that's the Air Force life we chose.  They will just be the first of many good friends we will have to leave.  I ended up watching her little boy twice last week while the movers were packing her house.  Her husband is already in Germany leaving her with the job of moving and caring for their 1o month old baby.  And she's 7 months pregnant. So getting her little boy out of her hair for a couple of days was the least I could do to help her out.  But, HOLY COW two kids was a handful.  By the end of the first day I told John "I don't know if I can do this again tomorrow."  I survived and thankfully both boys did too!
We listened to General Conference this weekend and it was wonderful as always.  I especially loved Elder Ballard's talk to the young mothers of the church.  I love being a mom, but it does get hard some times!  His talk was a good reminder for me that the joy of being a mom comes in moments and those moments are what make all the messes, tantrums, cooking, cleaning, etc. worth while.  I love being a mom and I love those moments of absolute joy that I feel!  I truly am blessed to have such a wonderful kid.  He has such a bright happy spirit and is constantly bringing a smile to my face.  It is great to be a mom!    
Listen to conference: www.lds.org

Tis the Season to be Grillin'

Well, not quite, but I'm wishing! We bought a BBQ grill a couple of weeks ago and I've been hoping for beautiful spring weather so we can get outside and grill.  However, it hasn't worked.  We are still being blessed with cold, rain and wind.  Yuck!  Sunday we planned to BBQ with Ryan and Katie but of course it was cold and rainy.  So we grilled anyway!  True my dream of a beautiful spring  BBQ did not come true, but we still had fun eating indoors and playing cards.  Gabe even ate his first hot dog.  A true childhood milestone.  

Hoppy Easter

Holidays are strange without our families, but we've been trying to make them special and fun nonetheless.  Since Gabe isn't much of a "hunter" yet, we just threw a bunch of plastic eggs out on the lawn for him to pickup. He was cute wearing his basket around his neck while he picked up his Easter eggs. John got bored after a while so he "helped" Gabe pick up the rest of the eggs with his golf driver.  So thoughtful that husband of mine. . . 
We had Easter dinner with Dale, Alva and Abbey.  We had a yummy lamb roast for dinner and some very rich, but delicious chocolate cheese cake for dessert.  Alva loves to bake and claims it is her way to relax.  John asked me why I don't find baking relaxing and I couldn't say that I don't. I actually think it could be very relaxing . . . if only I had a house elf to do the dishes afterwards.

I'm Learning That's Just Life

"I am responsible for my attitude toward the inevitable misfortunes that darken life. Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have – life itself.”
~Walter Anderson
One of these days I will learn how to roll with the punches. Until then, thanks to all of you who have been so supportive of my struggle to deal with this thing we call life. Learn, grow, move on. I'm working on it. If only I'd been blessed with a more "cheerful disposition". . .

Due to snow Ohio is closed

The weather has been crazy here lately. Just last Monday it was beautiful and spring-like outside. I had all of the windows in the house open to let the warm, fresh air in, Gabe and I even played at the park, it felt like spring was here! Then we got hit with freezing temperatures, ice, and a huge snowstorm. The snow started Friday and didn't stop until Saturday afternoon. I guess it was a record snowfall for Ohio. Most areas received about a foot of snow or more. Needless to say this place shut down! John came home from work early on Friday. We would have stayed bunkered down for the night, but we had dinner plans with a guy John works with. We had cancelled dinner the previous Friday because Gabe was sick, so we really didn't feel like we could cancel again due to snow. Besides, where we're from a mere foot of snow is barely worth mentioning. So ignoring the "blizzard warnings" on TV we braved the snowy roads.
Thankfully we travelled safely and had a fun evening. We had dinner with Dell, Alva and their daughter Abbey who is 18 months old. The kids had a great time playing together and it was fun to get to know some new people. After dinner Del and John played a game of pool that was really funny to watch since the kids would throw the balls back onto the table after they had been sunk into a pocket. Apparently "house rules" at their house are that those balls are now back in play wherever they land. This made for two long games of pool, but we had a fun time.
Church was even cancelled on Sunday because of the snow. As much as I love church it was nice to have a break. It was great to have John get to be home and sleep in a bit instead of being at 6:30AM meetings. And I didn't mind not having to wrestle Gabe through the meetings. He is a challenge at church right now, only two more months and he can go to nursery!!! (But who's counting?) The sun came out on Sunday and it ended up being a chilly, but beautiful day! We even went on a walk as a family to enjoy the sunshine and beautiful white snow.
Quite a bit of the snow is melting with the sun and it gives me hope that maybe spring is not too far off. As wonderful as this last snowstorm was I can't wait for the day that I can open the windows and play outside with Gabe again. BRING ON SPRING!

Head wounds bleed (a lot).

Just yesterday I was talking to my sister about how I haven't posted anything on the blog for a while because there's been nothing to post about. Well, Gabe cured my "nothing to post about" syndrome this morning when he cut his head open on the entertainment center. The gash was only about 3/4" long, but WOW did it bleed! I was panicked at first when he turned around and had blood streaming down his face. Holy crap what do I do? Have you ever tried to assess the damage on a 15 month old who's screaming, gushing blood and won't hold still to let you look at his head? Do I take him to the ER? Does he need stitches? How the heck am I going to get him to the ER with all the blood? Etc. Etc. I finally decided to try and get the bleeding stopped at home so I could determine how bad the cut really was and if we needed to take him to a doctor. Finally got a bandaid on the cut and thought the bleeding had stopped, but it soon soaked through the bandaid. John came home from work and thought we should probably take him into the ER and have it checked out. So we took him to the ER and luckily they were able to close the gash with purple wonder glue. Not a stitch needed! What a relief it was to know that Gabe wouldn't have to endure the trauma of getting stitches! A latex glove balloon from doc and we were on our way . . . but oh what a day!