then and now...

two years of cutie pie school photos to share with ya! happy friday!

the photo speaks for itself...

the gabes' labor camp continues...

remember that covered porch we had on the back of the house? it is no more, instead it has become an extension of the family room, almost doubling the usable space inside. i finally snapped a photo right of the project, as we finished up painting the new stucco. windows went in a few days later, so i'll post again soon. amazing how it just seems like it was always there, doesn't it? if you are wondering what else is missing - all the old concrete was removed late last summer, and the pergola and wisteria are also no more. i got voted off the island when it came to keeping the vine, and since it was what was holding up the pergola...you get the idea. the ladder is sitting just in front of the dining room slider. the plans are to install a 4-6' wide pergola across the entire back of the house running all the way to our bedroom on the opposite end, and a small breakfast porch off the dining room, with the main gathering area under the lemon trees outside the family room. lots of work to go, but progress is being made! we hope to move into the newly expanded room by the middle of april.

the very happy copilot...

God is great. i just love that Little Dude is getting some amazing experiences at such an early age, knowing that we are watching the fabric of his life and memory upon the loom. he had a great day with Papa on Sunday on a quick jaunt to the coast and back. the kid is going to know how to fly before he can drive at this rate...

as wild and crazy as he can be, seemingly unfocused and unpredictable, he takes his copilot role very seriously. he now helps tie and untie the plane, looping the ropes through the eyes, and holds the take off and landing checklist on his lap for Papa. he also knows that you "Never, never kick the yoke!"

Little Dude Quote of the Day

Little Dude was getting into my toiletries this morning and to keep him away from stuff that could spill, I gave him a black headband to play with. He walked around for a while with it on his head, and then brought it forward over his eyes and solemnly looked up at me and said (I swear, I did not prompt this at all!)

"Captain, there's no one here!"

out of (or in) the mouths of babes...

so, Little Dude's school just called. they always preface the call with "he's fine!" since, as like other parents, my first instinct is that he's ill or hurt. however, they went on to tell me that they are having to write up an incident report...they caught him drinking out of...

the urinal.

ewwwww. it was evidentally flushing and he saw it as a good opportunity to quench his thirst. was kinda baffled when his teacher made such a big deal out of it. this is a story we're going to hold over this head when he's a teenager, dontcha think?

time flies...

is this not the cutest thing you have ever seen? as we prepare, mentally at least, to have a new baby in the house again, it's nice to be reminded of just how fleeting those precious days were. when our little one was small enough to tote about on a hip, with rolls of chub to pinch and squeeze; discovering every new thing with delight. the tall, lanky, tousle-haired boy before me bears only slight resemblance to this little babe...except in the dead of night, buried under his soft blankie (in the very beginning, he called it his "kinky") making his sweet snuffles as I nuzzle his damp forehead.

that is when he looks exactly the same to me.

(we really must give snaps to that precious dog, who tolerated with such patience the little exploring fingers that pulled her ears and poked her eyes. she was always still as a statue until she couldn't take it anymore and scurried away to a safer locale. my fondest memory was hearing her whimper, and looking over found our babe with one of her cheek jowls in each hand gleefully yanking upon them both. she didn't budge, just pleaded with her eyes and a slight whine for rescue.)

every blessing You pour out...

I turn back to praise!

This was our family song for the weekend. A wonderful, relaxing, fun-filled, three-day weekend. Blessed be the name of the Lord! Amazing how you grow to appreciate the little things...I worked our annual sales conference last week that culminated in three 14-hour work days. I barely saw my boys, and was exhausted and running on only 7 hours sleep a night (not nearly enough while preggers...).

Friday began the blessings when my big guy was able to drive me to work that morning (nothing like being chauffeured and sipping coffee on the way to work!) and then later joined me at our closing dinner (and driving the 45 minutes home!). Even though it was another late night, it's some how not as much"work" when your honey is there with you, getting you more Pelegrino and lime, or making your after-dinner coffee just how you like it while you work the room.

Saturday morning I got to stay in bed till I WANTED to get up. I laid awake for a bit and just reveled in my squishy pillow-top mattress and my fortress of pillows (I'm up to four these days). Then I got up and watched cartoons in my pj's with another little guy in his pj's and drank coffee until I felt like it. What a gift!

Took naps every day, went on a walk with a small boy on a tricycle, replanted three roses and bumbled about the yard in the warm sunshine, got my hair cut, drove with the sunroof open, went to the movies as a family, slept in as late as I wanted to, finally managed not only to choose new bathroom tile but ordered it as well, made dinner while the boys made train tracks on the floor and danced to 80's music.

It was just such a blessed three days! That song was playing on the radio while we were out and about as a family on Saturday morning, and Little Dude continued to request it every time we were in the car the rest of the weekend. Happy to oblige!

Here's to the blessing of "little things".

life is short...eat more chicken mcnuggets!

i realized that while i was feeling so sick over the holidays, i had fallen into the habit of rushing...rushing through the morning routine, rushing through the bedtime routine, rushing through dinner.

in a flash, i realized that i was overlooking a great and precious gift! my days with just one boy in my life are short!

soon i will no longer be able to give him my undivided attention. there will be another little person with whom to divide my time. the thought made me rather sad...not sad to have two boys, just sad that the days of being with my only son are numbered.

so, this week has been about slowing down. let's read three books before bedtime instead of two. i made an excellent "gold-fish pond" out of peas and bits of carrot over the weekend. so what if i arrive at work 30 minutes later than usual? we had a great time "hiding" under the covers and an excellent tickle-fest (Little Dude is the only ticklish person i know that LIKES to be tickled. when you stop, he yells "again!" then when he tickles me he wiggles his fingers on my shoulder or elbow and says "laugh mommy! i'm tickling you!"). last night we went to dinner as a family at McDonald's. not exactly mom and dad's first choice for eating out, but Little Dude sure seemed to enjoy it. and i really enjoyed watching him be happy. he's very generous with his french fries, too.

i know that my heart will grow to love two boys instead of just one (it already is), and we'll make time so that he still feels important, but i'll miss the days of just hanging out with Little Dude. i'm glad i have a few more months, and i'm glad God reminded me to take it a bit slower. these days are precious!

quote of the week: upon breaking a new toy...he brought it sadly over to my Dad saying..."Papa, I have a sad surprise for you!"


photo: a Gabe breakfast tradition - peanut butter toast!

from the mouths of little boys...

"Hey Little Dude...guess what?! You're going to have a baby brother! Isn't that great?"

long pause....

"Can we have meatballs for dinner?"






"Hey Little Dude, I heard that you're going to have a baby brother!"

"No, a baby sister. Her name is Ginger."

"I thought your Mommy said it was going to be a boy?"

"No, I changed my mind."



And lastly, how do smart mommies get little boys to eat their green beans? They build things...this one I'm particularly proud of. It's a bridge, complete with cars on the bridge and boats around it. Last night I made a picket fence with squirrels on it...they usually vanish in about five minutes. : )

Happy is she whose son eats his veggies...

It's a.....!

I bet you all are dying to know, aren't you? Yep, we found out what we are having. Is it a boy or a girl, you ask? Is Little Dude going to get a pesky kid sister, or a baby brother to torture?

I haven't had a chance to scan the photos yet. Wouldn't it be much nicer to SEE the pictures when you find out what little Baby Gabe is going to be?

Yes, you say?

Ok, we'll wait till we have the photos up. Such sweet pictures...the tiny little profile. A perfect little spine. His wee little hands up by his face.

Oops.

; )

lessons learned

i don't have that much new to post, so here's some personal musings on pregnancy, remodeling, and the countdown to UltraSound Day (this coming Friday!)

10. Dirt is inevitable. No matter how hard you try to keep it out, it climbs through the cracks in the walls and pervades the entire house when you are remodeling.
9. Weekends go by in a nanosecond. Weekdays last forever.
8. Three-year-olds can sense change on the wind better than a dog can smell "dinner". And then begin to assert their identity in the household with a vigor.
7. I will never feel like I've gotten "enough sleep". I could sleep all day and still want more.
6. Three-year-olds don't respect the sleep needs of a grown-up.
5. Pregnancy dreams make sleeping a whole lot more exciting. Zowee! It's like CSI every night.
4. Remodeling begins with "oh, this will just take six weeks or so!" and ends with "that was the longest six months of my life."
3. Maternity pants are abominable. Doesn't matter whether they are lo-rise, mid-belly, over-the-belly, hidden panel, whatever. They are all uncomfortable and constantly feel like they are falling off.
2. There is nothing quite as blessed as laying in bed and feeling a 5 oz. little human pummel you from the inside out.
1. You know you're working too hard when you look forward to Maternity Leave as a "vacation".

(the photo is me at 4 mos. with Scooby, and thankfully, I look pretty much the same this time around! We all miss Heidi though...)

details details

for all you who are visiting here for the first time after receiving The Gabes Christmas card, be sure to view the archives for summer pictures, Little Dude as ring-bearer, etc.

for all of you who have been asking when our ultrasound is going to be - it's scheduled for February 2nd. yes, we're going to find out what the gender is.

and our c-section is tentatively scheduled for July 2nd.

have a happy wednesday!

xmas in Maine

it wasn't quite a white Christmas, but it did snow twice the week we were back East. Here's a few photos of our family fun. We put Colin on a pair of tiny little skis, which he caught on to relatively well, and thought it was hysterical to be pulled around by the front of his jacket. We also managed to go back to the covered bridge in Jackson, NH, near where Gabe used to live as a boy and take a family photo of the "four" of us (notice the bump). Colin didn't let us stay long, b/c it was about 24 degrees and ended up wearing my jacket and I his as we trudged back to the car. we were also able to spend some great quality time with Gabe's stepdad Ed, namesake for Colin Edward.

there's no place like home...

top 10 reasons i'm so very glad to be home after a wonderful visit with family and friends for 10 days back east...

10. unsalted and unsanded streets.
9. not having to wear a coat 24/7.
8. not having to bang snow off my shoes getting into the car or going indoors.
7. not having to worry about something called "black ice."
6. Campbell Church of Christ
5. my king-size bed.
4. produce (they think iceberg lettuce and coleslaw are vegetables up there...)
3. Ken McAlpin's singing
2. Baja Fresh
1. my king-size bed.

happy days...

the air is cold (28 this morning!) and crisp, the sun is brightly shining, and Christmas is less than a week away. somehow, with a full time job and a full time family, we're done with the chaos and the shopping and simply get to play Santa Claus all week delivering the goodies. other than the Christmas cards going out very late, we did ok this year. we even had time for a family photo...here's a few shots and outtakes. may YOUR Christmas be merry and bright...and take the time to go see the movie The Nativity. It really brings home the "reason for the season". i cried the whole way through, but they were happy tears. what a gift we've been given.

Blessings to you and yours.

Love, The Gabes

lost

many have been following the story of a young San Francisco family that made a wrong turn coming home from Thanksgiving in Oregon. stuck on an impassable road, the family ran out of gas, then burned their tires for warmth and as a signal for help. finally on Saturday, James Kim, the father could bear it no longer and set out on foot to find help for his wife Kati, and two daughters, Sabine, 7 months, and Penelope, 4 years.

i don't know why their story, out of so many, has captured my heart. there's an awful lot of suffering in this world - why this story? maybe because they're local. maybe because they're my age. maybe because we'll soon have a newborn and a four year old. i don't know. but i've spent a lot of time crying and praying for this family. the mother and daughters were found on Monday - in good condition. James was found today at the bottom of a ravine. they don't yet know why he went off the road, what he intended by the trail of clothing and bits of map he purposefully left along the way, or how long he survived out there.

i can't help but think how life would feel unlivable if it were me. facing a future with no husband, no father to my children. knowing he died trying to save us.

so, this family continues to be in my prayers - the answer to our many prayers that he might live was "no". but i still know that God's plans are perfect, His way is best, and His heart is hurting along with Kati and her daughters right now. may they know some kind of peace in the days ahead.

out of the mouths of babes...

Conversation with Little Dude early one morning as we snuggled in bed:

"What did you dream about last night, Sweet Pea?"

"I dreamed about God! He took away allllllll our sins."

"Yeah? What else did you dream?"

"And Jesus. He put the sins in his pockets. He has two pockets. Not five, Mommy. Just two."

"What is a sin, honey?"

"It's like a pencil. It's what you color with."

Moses

We asked Little Dude what we should call the new baby in Mommy's tummy. He decisively replied: "Moses". So, we're using it as a nickname for now. Boy or girl - we're going to wait and see this time around. I make no promises, however. As hormonal as I am I reserve the right to caprice.

Moses is 8 weeks today, with a nice strong heartbeat visible at our first appointment a week ago. Our Dr. gave us the green light to go ahead and celebrate, which we are certainly doing in between bouts of severe nausea and mood swings. My dear husband has been VERY sweet and tolerant. Little Dude is walking around with a stuffed frog up his shirt and complaining that the baby is making his tummy hurt too.

and then there were...

Once upon a time there was just one Gabe.

All alone, he filled his days making spreadsheets.

One day, he met a girl. She was cute. They fell in love.

And then there were two.

Together, they filled their days making spreadsheets, writing stories, and digging trenches.

One day, they decided that they had too much time on their hands. They had a baby. He was cute. They fell in love.

And then there were three.

Time passed, and the Three Gabes spent their days making spreadsheets, telling stories, digging trenches and terrorizing the Campbell Christian Pre-School.

One day, they decided that they had too much time on their hands...

(to be continued sometime on or about July 8, 2007).