Laughing

So, we have a jetted tub in the master bathroom, and Gabe is now big enough to take a bath in it. The first time we didn't turn on the jets, but each time after we have. There have been a few funny accidents that have happened so far, and I will let Jennifer detail those for you, but they were really funny!

Anyway, this photo was taken during his last bath. I put in a good amount of bubble bath and turned on the jets. Gabe loves it! Though the difficult part is keeping the suds out of his mouth. He will get a small amount in his mouth, then try to wipe them out with his hand that is covered in more suds! It is great! I hope that this photo makes you smile as much as it makes me smile.

Becoming a greek god

Gabe and I went for a hike today while mama was doing her hair.

I wanted to go some place that would be muddy due to yesterdays snow storm and today's 50° weather. We had to make an emergency stop at Wendy's for chicken nuggets and a frosty for Gabe, and a JBC for me.

We then B lined it to the trail head for Mt. Olympus! It was a great day for a hike. The sun was shining, there was some snow on the ground, and a lot of dry mud. (Dry mud: wet enough to stick to your shoes and hands, but dry enough that Gabe didn't leave any footprints.)

He was just as interested in scaling large rocks on the trail as he was throwing the biggest ones he could pick up. If there was one thing that he like more though, than throwing the rocks, was watching the dogs of various shape and size running up/down the mountain side.

We hiked for about 45 minutes. Then it was time to turn back toward home and dinner! Gabe wasn't a big fan of the idea, but as soon as we started running down the mountain, Gabe speed, and I was making race car sounds, Gabe was all for it! He held tight to me finger as I held tight to his hand as he skimmed across the ground when he feet couldn't keep up with his falling body. It was a blast! He was laughing the entire time!

Well we made it down to the car, Gabe in his car seat, and he let me know that he wasn't done hiking. We made a U-turn back into the parking lot. Got Gabe back out of the car and before I could get my phone out to take another photo he was a ways up the trail from me! Great little boy! I can't wait to go camping with this little guy! It is going to be a blast!

Right now Gabe is running around like the hike didn't happen, because he has that much energy, but I also know that he is going to sleep like a rock because of the hike! Sweet! Gabe, I think we have a Saturday tradition!

Bathroom Humor

So, I knew that it would happen at some point. It is a part of life, and it is something that we should have expected, but this caught us off guard. Gabe, he in now 17 months, and he is able to easily go up and down the stairs, run up and down the halls of the house. He knows how to make himself known, and he is also learning how to be sneaky.

Thursday was a regular morning. Jenn making lunches in the kitchen, I was getting dressed for the day and Gabe was running around playing like usuall. It was a normal morning. Well, that night when, after Gabe had gone to bed, and we were in the bathroom going through the regular routine: brushing teeth, floss, face washing, using the toilet, etc.

Jenn opened the toilet and staired! The look on her face make me think that I had forgotten to do something from earlier, but no. "He threw my sweater in the toilet!" We laughed as we looked at what Gabe had quietly done. Jennifer's sweater was in the closet that morning, Jenn remembered it there, but Gabe had quietly picked it up, carried it up two stairs into the master bathroom, opened the toilet lid, threw the sweater in the toilet, and then flushed the toilet!!!

It really was funny to come home to a sweater in the toilet. Don't worry we took the toilet paper roll of the spindle as soon as he could walk because he quickly found that it is fun to unroll the whole thing. I could only imagine the toilet sucking down a whole roll of toilet paper.

Gabe! you are amazing! But I am going to tighten your leash, and keep both bathroom doors closed!

King of the Mountain!

Gabe is getting taller, faster, braver, and stronger. He hasn't gained much weight, but I am going to say that is because the little boy never stops moving! He is always on the move!
Recently he got brave enough to stand on the glider automan (footstool). That was great and all, but it doesn't beat climbing into the glider from the footstool!
Using his new found cordination, strength and bravery, he quickly maneuvers into the chair.












He then sits with a big smile on his face because he is sitting in the big chair, the same as mama and dada. This moment of accomplishment doesn't last long. From this high vantage point he has a better view of all this toys. As soon as he sees his next goal, he is down from the chair faster than getting up. He races across the room grabs the toy, throws it, and heads back to the chair.














Gage, you are a wild man! I am lucky to have you as my son. I look at you with wonder and awe. How can I, me, RT II, how did I get the fortune, responsibility, blessing, trial, and gift of guiding you as you grow? You are my biggest smiles. You are my early mornings. You are my new adventures. You are my fears, my hopes, my expectations. Little boy, I thank God for you and your mother every day! I pray daily that I can be a better father for you. Thank you for your smiles. For waking up early. For your daily adventures. For running to me when your afraid, running to show me your "favorite" toy, or really, the one that you saw first. Thank you for being my little boy!

Testimony

Today was our Stake conference and during our stake president's talk a question popped in my head, had my brother ever born his testimony in front of his girl friend? I am not really sure why this question was in my head, and I still don't know. But I do know that for thier relationship, what ever that is that they have, it would be wonderful for them to bare their testimonys to each other.
I thought about the last time that I bore my testimony in front of my wife, and it has been a few months during fast and testimony meeting. And worse, I don't remember the last time that I bore my testimony in front of my wife when it was just us. We have gosple conversations almost everyother day and in those conversations I share parts of my testimony. That God will take care of us. Yes we are in a difficult situation, but God IS watching and He DOES care about our happiness. All this is good, but I haven't taken the time to, unprovoked share my testimony with my wife.
As I sat in the back of this meeting, I thought about being a missionary, and how easy it was to bare my testimony to perfect strangers; to boldly testify of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. To share Joseph's story expecting and knowing that the Holy Ghost would burn in their hearts. Most of those people I have never seen since, and I will never see them again, and if I do, I know I won't recognize them. - So if I can, with boldness and conviction share my personal beliefs with people that I will never see again, why can't I do the same in front of my wife, my sister, friends, family people who have the same beliefs as I do? Why do I get nervous, timid, even a little worrisome about what they are going to think? Why can't I share an even more powerful testimony in front of them? Is it because as a missionary in St. Louis people were expecting me to bare my testimony? Is it because as a missionary my testimony was stronger than it is now? Is it because I knew that I would never see those people again? and because I will see my family and friends all the time and I want them to see only the parts of me I deem the most entertaining and fun to be around. - I have tried to follow the example of Joseph Smith, who followed the example of the Messiah, to pay attention to children, to listen to them, to play with them, to let them know that I care for them. This usually ends up in me being the mobile playground for all my nieces and nephews. Joseph too would play games with the children, wrestle with them. Christ called the all the little children to come unto him. But unlike them, I don't bare my testimony to those I love the most. I must change that! I can have and do both. I can play, I can be "entertaining". But I must also let those same people know that I do know that Jesus is the Christ! He, the Son of God born of the virgin Mary, whose birth is the reason for the holiday of Chistmas, Jesus Christ lived a perfect life. He died, not because people killed him, but because he gave his life willingly to save mine, and yours. He is called our Savior because we all need to be saved! He lives! His body was in the tomb for three days and then He broke the bands of death for us all! The Book of Mormon testifies of these truths! It contains the words of Christ! Joseph Smith translated those words for us by the gift and power of God! And I know that if I am true and faithfull the the covenants that I have made I will live with God and Jesus again. I will then as I do now kneel before and honor my King! The Lord Jesus Christ!

I am not sure if my wife is going to read this, I assume she will, but I will tell her too. When she wakes up from her nap. I will tell her. Not because I asked my brother to do the same in front of his girl friend, but because I love her, and I want her to know that the covenants that I have made with her are more important to me than anything else and I want her with me when I stand before the bar of the Almighty God!

This is my testimony, in part, and I stamp it and seal it and close it in the sacred and merciful name of my King, my Savior, my Brother, in the name of Him who I try to be friends with: Jesus Chirst. Amen

Watch out!

I am going to do it. I am going to start blogging more than Facebooking! It may seem like it could take up more of my time, but I don't think so and here's why. If I am on Facebook then I am going to look at my friends pages, then their friends pages because I know them too. Then I am going to have to think of some sort of crazy and off the wall remark to try and get a response out of the friend of the friend and try to add them as a friend. And I wish it stopped there, but it doesn't. Then I will play my MobWars game and deny all the other crazier people who try to get me to be their neighbor on FarmVille, or some other crazy thing.
But one major reason that I want to start blogging again is that on Facebook I can't throw-up my thoughts in a status update like I can here. I will warn you, a lot of my thoughts right now are about church stuff and how it makes me who I am. I will have lots of life sucks, life is great kinds of posts. But I am warning you, to whom ever reads this, it may be no one, and I am just writing for my own sake, but if there is someone who happens upon it: I am going to be honest. Frank and silly. I am going to try to make myself laugh, and I am going to announce often how much I love my wife! If you can handle that, feel free to enter my world. But for now, it is time for bed and my wife is REALLY tired! So that means I am really tired too!

Yummmy

This was Gabe's first attempt at feeding himself with a spoon! Mashed patatoes! He did really well until he wasn't hungry any more. Then it was finger painting! This is two days before his 13 month mark!

Beware! First Birthday photos and reports will soon follow!

What a Stud! 9 Months

Isn't this a good picture of Gabe and Jenn! I REALLY like it!




He get so excited when the water for his bath starts running! He loves bath time! I have to hold him back while I strip him down he wants in so bad.

Gabe quick up-date

So Gabe is growing teeth, and he isn't a big fan of the process. He was sleeping 6-10 hours a night, and now he is waking up 4-6 times a night. He is the greatest little boy that I have ever had! He is now 6 months old and wants more than any thing to crawl and be mobile. He has started to push himself backwards, and can get up on his knees, but his face is in the carpet. And he loves to laugh. Today at church there was a family with 5 children and two of them had Gabe laughing hard as the meeting started. He is a stud!

Will power, mostly

I know it is not much, but I wanted to post a victory that Jennifer had the other day. We are now training for a triathlon and as we were walking through the grocery store she walked down the ice cream isle and didn't stop to buy more ice cream! She may have had a little reminder that we are now in training mode, but she did it! Way to go Jenn! Your going to rock this tri!