The Beam Boys

January photos

2012-02-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

January 2012 - Balance Bike

2012-02-07T13:10:00.002-07:00

Gavin got a balance bike for Christmas. It's basically a kids bike minus the pedals. So far Gavin will stand over it and walk. In order to get him to wear his helmet, daddy wears his!

Trip to California - Bakersfield

2012-02-07T13:05:00.004-07:00

I was bad about taking photos on our trip. Luckily Grandma and Uncle David always had a camera nearby. I'll have to steal a few from them to post later. Here are a few photos at the Beam house.

Daddy, Grandpa and Trevor in the kitchen.

Gavin assisting Grandma with picking oranges.

Gavin and his favorite toy ever - a motorized 4 wheeler!

Grandma with Trevor in the backyard.

Our Trip to California - Visit with Joseph and Family

2012-02-07T13:00:00.003-07:00

We arrived in Bakersfield on Christmas Eve. On Christmas day, Joel wanted to visit his high school movie theater job buddy Joseph, wife Rebecca and their two kiddos. Their little girl is about the same age as Trevor and happened to have her Mrs. Claus outfit handy!

Trevor's first Christmas/Hanukkah!

2012-02-07T12:55:00.002-07:00

I couldn't resist dressing Trevor up in his Christmas best.
He's not a fan of hats so take a quick look while he's still wearing it!
Trevor checking out Gavin's menorah.
Daddy and Trevor in their fancy sweaters. Daddy's sweater is compliments of Grandpa John!

Pre-Christmas photos 2

2012-02-06T16:46:00.001-07:00

Gavin enjoying a pancake in Trevor's bumbo chair.

Daddy and Trevor making cookie dough.
Gavin painting his sugar cookies.
Just look at the detail and focus on this cookie painter!

Pre-Christmas photos

2012-02-06T16:40:00.002-07:00

Grandma Joyce and Trevor.
Daddy and Gavin with their mustaches for "Movember."
Trevor opening presents at Uncle David's house.
Gavin opening presents at Uncle David's.
Trevor with one of his favorite toys, the wooden spoon. Also known as a beat stick - watch your teeth!

October-December Photos

2012-02-06T16:36:00.001-07:00

Trevor with his hat from Grandma Miriam.
Messy trevor with Grandma Joyce!
Santa Trevor and Grandma Claus.
Cousins Roni, Rena, Gavin, Trevor and me.
Uncle David and his boys!

Photo update

2012-02-06T16:31:00.003-07:00

Gavin always likes to try on Trevor's stuff. He likes to remember his youth!
Gavin helping daddy on Thanksgiving day with the bird.
Gavin and the domino trains.
Trevor in his high chair eager for dinner! (about 8 mos)
Trevor and his great tooth-less smile!

February already

2012-02-06T16:25:00.003-07:00

Ok, so mom has been a little busy with life to update the blog. Since Halloween, we had Grandma Joyce visit for 2 weeks around Thanksgiving, which was very nice. She enjoyed seeing her boys grow in person! The second weekend she was here, we celebrated an early Christmas at Uncle David's new place in Gunbarrel. A few weeks later on Christmas Eve, we flew to Bakersfield to visit Grandma and Grandpa Beam. Trevor's first flight was a success. Gavin was a champ too. The flight was under 2 hours which helped. Uncle David joined us in Bako. The day after Christmas, we all drove to a little town on the coast, Cambria, and enjoyed a week there. The weather was pleasant and we enjoyed walking around town, visited Los Osos, Hearst Castle, San Luis Obispo and just enjoyed not having anywhere to go. Gavin enjoyed the 4 wheel toy that grandma and grandpa borrowed from the neighbor and playing ball with Bogie. Trevor just enjoyed the extra attention and being strapped to mom everywhere we went! Uncle David took some fabulous photos of the trip, it was great to see the scenery though his eyes. We returned home on New Year's Day. That was November and December in a nut shell!

Photo Card

2011-12-14T20:51:00.001-07:00

Cozy Warm Wishes Holiday

Elegant holiday invitations for your friends and family.

View the entire collection of cards.

Trevor turns 6 mos!

2011-10-28T20:58:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was Trevor's 6 month birthday. Today we went to the pediatrician and got his new stats:

height: 26.5"

weight: 14.8 lbs

After 6 months of momma milk, we gave him his first taste of rice cereal. He didn't just eat it, he took the spoon out of daddy's hand and fed himself. What a little character!

Pumpkin orange!

2011-09-29T21:42:00.002-06:00

I took a bunch of photos of Trevor in his orange outfit the day he got it. He was having fun playing with his feet and sticking his tongue out. He's kinda cute, isn't he! : )

Annual ice cream making party!

2011-09-29T21:37:00.002-06:00

We missed out on making ice cream when the Beams were in town but got it in before summer ended! Morgan and Riley and big brother Josh, mom and dad and Julia and Dave came over and all took turns churning the ice cream. It was a success! I made apple crisps (from the apples from our tree!) and we added out fresh ice cream to it - very tasty! Morgan stuck around to help put Gavin to bed - we looked at each other a few times and chuckled - G was wired for sound that night. There must have been some sugar in his dessert! Oh boy!

Trevor spends the day with daddy!

2011-09-29T21:34:00.002-06:00

Funny brother photos

2011-09-29T21:30:00.002-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa Beam visit - Labor Day

2011-09-29T21:26:00.005-06:00

The photos are a little out of order but here are some shots from when Grandma and Grandpa came to visit around Labor Day.

A visit to the pumpkin patch...

2011-09-29T21:21:00.003-06:00

...with Uncle David! Trevor's outfit, compliments of grandma Joyce! Now if we could only get Gavin to wear his!

What's new?

2011-09-29T21:03:00.003-06:00

Sorry it has been a month since the last post. We're taking photos, but just not taking the time to upload them. Since August, the Beams visited. They took care of Gavin while Maria was on vacation around Labor Day. Gavin kept grandma and grandpa busy going to the WOW Museum, the neighborhood pool and the park. Trevor stayed home with them the Tuesday after Labor Day. Grandpa went to the grocery store with Gavin - I'm sure he convinced grandpa to get him a free cookie like he does with daddy!

We visited Roni and Garry, Oren and Ahna and Ezra on Labor Day down in Castle Rock. We took two cars. Gavin talked just about the whole way down and back. "Trains mommy, three deer mommy," and on and on. It was fun to see Ezra (3) and Gavin (2) playing together and being silly.

The months are flying by. Trevor is now 5 months old and Gavin is 2.5. Wowsers. Gavin's vocabulary is amazing - full sentences. Some of the things he says really crack us up. He has quite the personality and an opinion about EVERYTHING. Trevor is still a mellow little dude. He watches his big brother, giggles and tells us stories in his own baby language. He's a fun little person. Still hanging onto some of that dark brown hair. I looked back at Gavin photos at the same age and T definitely has darker hair and more of it - so far! Hopefully he doesn't loose it all in time for his 6 mos photos!

The weather has been great here. Uncle David and I took the boys to the pumpkin patch last weekend. I wanted to go early so the crowds weren't too crazy. We went in the morning and it was perfect - David and I enjoyed it. Gavin wasn't too thrilled with the prickley pumpkin leaves and vines and the thornes in the pumpkin patch. I guess if you go later in the season, the weeds are probably trampled down. Gavin did enjoy eating a few kernels of corn right from the stalk! After we picked our pumpkins (thanks Uncle David!) we went to see the bouncy castles, hay bail maze and pens where the animals would go. It was getting warm so we headed back home. Gavin was quite excited to show daddy "his" pumpkins.

Trevor's daycare is closed Thursday and Friday of this week. Daddy took the day off and I worked from home. Daddy had a fun day with Trevor. We started the morning by walking Gavin to daycare. Trevor was in the front pack, Gavin in his stroller and the dogs on leash. A real family outing! Trevor was fast asleep by the time we got home. He slept for about 2 hours then he hung out with daddy for a while. They decided to go for a walk to visit neighbors, Mike and Jamie. When they returned it was lunch time. Trevor sat in his bumbo chair and watched daddy make lunch. After lunch they played and read stories then time for T's afternoon nap. After a while it was time to go get big brother at Maria's. Trevor was in the stroller so Gavin lead us on a leisurely walk home, walking thru the neighbors grass, pointing out sprinkler heads, kicking dandilion, visiting the tan cat, touching the flowers. Like I said - Leisurely! We got home and headed to Chipotle for dinner. Gavin especially enjoyed having chocolate milk and tortilla chips of his very own. He also enjoyed recycling everything after the meal. That was the day in a nut shell!

I'm ready for the weekend!

Trevor's August Video

2011-08-22T20:38:00.003-06:00

I took this video tonight just before dinner. Trevor was playing on his activity mat, the tropical sounds you hear are from the mat, we don't live in the rain forest. When we put T on his belly he lifts his head up and tries to scoot along the floor - if you put your hand behind his feet so he has something to push off of!

Trevor's July Video...

2011-08-22T20:34:00.001-06:00

July and August

2011-08-22T20:25:00.002-06:00

Gavin can not only reach the drawers in the kitchen, he can see into them. Sometimes he likes to pull them ALL out just so he can close them all!

Gavin's buddy Morgan holding Trevor. Morgan and her sister Riley babysat for the boys so daddy and I could go out to dinner on my birthday!

Trevor on August 22 (tonight!). See how big he has gotten!

Gavin and his latest stickers from Trader Joe's. Here is what I like to do with my stickers grandma!

A 3 month photo that is just cute!

More July photos

2011-08-22T20:21:00.001-06:00

Trevor in his stud muffin outfit from the girls at work!

Uncle David and Gavin.

The boys hanging out in the living room.

Trevor tries out his bumbo chair! Look mom, I am sitting up!

Daddy and Trevor at the kitchen table.

Latest photos - July

2011-08-22T20:11:00.003-06:00

Trevor in his tub in our shower. So serious!

Gavin showing off his artistic use of Grandma's choo choo stickers!

Trevor smiling with his buddy Kaylee!

Happy boy!

So I've been a little slow at updating the blog.

Trevor is growing in leaps and bounds and Gavin is almost half way through his second year. Gavin is a little boy with a mind and opinions of his own - and he lets us know it! Trevor is a rock star when it comes to sleeping - he sleeps from 7:30 p.m. to 5 in the morning. He is a mellow little person who is happy to sit in his bouncy chair and watch the world around him. He likes to smile and giggle and coo.

I went back to work on July 19. Our friend, Kaylee, watched Trevor the first two weeks. She watched Gavin (back when she was in high school!). Now she's a sophomore at CSU. We were thrilled to have her. She stayed with us and enjoyed spending time with T.

On August 1, I started back to work 5x/wk. Trevor started daycare with Di. He did great. That Monday was the first time he slept in his own bedroom and he slept thru the night. Before that he was sleeping at the foot of our bed in his pack-n-play but I think he knew I was just a few feed away and available to feed him at any time. Since then he has slept through the night in his own bed all by himself.

Trevor's latest video

2011-07-11T15:05:00.002-06:00

Finger painting

2011-07-11T14:59:00.003-06:00

Last Tuesday we took a trip to the science museum with Uncle David (photos to come). Gavin didn't take a nap that day (a first!) so I decided to pull out the finger paints. It was the first time G had done this and he did a pretty good job. By the end of it he was stripped down to his diaper but it was a pretty mess-free experience. Like mom, he likes to put his paint brushes in his mouth (I usually do it without paint on them though!)

Gavin reliving his younger days

2011-07-11T14:52:00.002-06:00

Gavin has a renewed interest in his baby toys - the bouncy chair, swing and car seat. He enjoys getting in by himself but once in a while he tries getting into the bouncy chair with Trevor. I haven't taken the photo yet but he also likes the play mat. He likes to squeeze himself in next to Trevor and look up at the lights and show Trevor the animals and lights - pretty funny!

Gavin and the hose

2011-07-11T14:49:00.002-06:00

Daddy was watering the lawn one day and Gavin took control of the hose. Since his clothes were completely soaked we stripped him down. I actually have a similar set of photos of me around this age. I'll have to scan and compare. At one point, Gavin was chasing daddy around the backyard with the hose! That boy likes water!!!

June photos

2011-07-11T14:44:00.004-06:00

Paganucci gave Gavin and Trevor some cool tie dyed shirts. Daddy just happened to have one similar in his t-shirt archives. We couldn't resist this photo opp. Daddy and Gavin actually went out of the house like this to run a few errands - note daddy's shorts! He told people that mommy dressed them!

Gavin reading a postcard from Grandma Miriam and Grandpa John's trip back east.

Grandma Joyce meets Trevor

2011-07-11T14:38:00.003-06:00

In late June, Grandma Joyce came out for a visit. She stayed with us for a week and enjoyed snuggling up with her new little grandbaby and his big brother! We went to the park together, to the WOW Museum and had a little bbq on Father's Day.

Trevor is 2 months old - already!

2011-06-27T10:37:00.002-06:00

Today is Trevor's two month birthday. Amazing how quickly it has come. He is holding his head up pretty well, smiling and watching us from across the room now.

Brother Gavin is still getting used to having someone else monopolize mommy's time but doing ok. He is growing in leaps and bounds too with his vocabulary - full sentences - where does he get some of the words he is using - wow! He has a new fascination with bugs - we're trying to teach him not to step on them. He is convinced a spider lives under the "blue car" in the garage.

We went to Trevor's 2 month pediatrician appointment this morning. In addition to the 4 immunizations he received, we got his latest stats. (He is sleeping the shots off right now and has 4 cartoon bandaids to show Gavin).

Length: 23" (50 percentile)

Weight: 11 lbs. 4 oz. (25-50 percentile)

Head Circum: 15.5" (25-50 percentile)

Mom goes back to work on July 19 and Trevor starts life as a daycare kid on August 1. The big test will be to see how long it takes us to get two boys out of the house and ready for daycare/work.

The latest video

2011-06-10T13:17:00.003-06:00

I'm not sure what Gavin was saying in this one. As you can see, Trevor doesn't mind his big brothers not so gentle touch!

No title needed...

2011-06-10T13:14:00.000-06:00

The boys!

2011-06-10T13:11:00.002-06:00

Thought it would be fun to dress them in the same shirt (different colors!) and take a photo. It's a little harder these days getting Gavin to wear what we want him to wear - he has opinions of his own these days - who would have thought!

Who's Who?

2011-06-03T09:24:00.002-06:00

I'm just having fun comparing their likenesses and differences! They're definitely brothers.

Carol and Bill's annual walk

2011-05-28T20:58:00.000-06:00

Gavin making friends (with the ladies!)

Trevor's 2nd interview

2011-05-28T20:54:00.002-06:00

1 month old!

2011-05-28T20:51:00.000-06:00

A day at the zoo

2011-05-28T20:48:00.002-06:00

Cousin Landyn comes for a visit!

2011-05-28T20:43:00.002-06:00

Photo upload 1!

2011-05-28T20:38:00.000-06:00

Uncle D and Aunt J: Photographed!

2011-05-08T02:50:00.002-06:00

Since we didn't get photos w them last wknd, we asked them to stop by for their official photo opp. Presenting Uncle David and Aunt Jen!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T02:45:00.002-06:00

Since we're up... let us be the first to wish you a happy mother's day! Here are a few photos from Uncle David's visit yesterday. Cheers!

Trevor's 1st interview

2011-05-04T12:58:00.001-06:00

What is he saying you ask?

"STOP uploading photos and FEED ME MOM!"

Grandma comes to visit!

2011-05-04T12:34:00.002-06:00

Grandma Miriam came in to help out - she's impressed with Gavin and his vocabulary since last seeing him briefly in February! It's also her birthday today - time for "cup-a-cakes" Gavin! Woo Woo. We're in trouble - she brought her own mini cupcake tins.

Thought you'd also like to see a few shots of Trevor with his eyes open and not quite so puffy. We had his first pediatrician appt on Monday. He is regaining weight and his jaundice is going away. This little man is a poop machine. I feed him, change him and the next gurgle gurgle comes thru. Grandma reminded me this is how Gavin was too. How quickly I forget!

Gavin meets Trevor

2011-05-04T12:25:00.002-06:00

Gavin stayed with Maria on Tues., Wed., and Thurs. nights while we were at the hospital. On Fri., it was Uncle David's turn! Daddy was home to put him to bed and it was uncle D's job to get up with him on Sat. and play the day away. Uncle D sounded pretty tired when we checked in but G seemed to enjoy their time together. David and Jen moved down to Lafayette on Wednesday, which we're excited about-now they can come over and play with the boys more often! YEAH!

Here are a few screen shots of photos David took when we arrived at home. Gavin was up napping when we arrived so we were able to get situated with Trevor. Take a look!

Gavin is always facinated by people in pictures of people with "eyes closed" - he likes to point at Trevor and say this a lot!

Trevor photos

2011-05-04T12:12:00.003-06:00

Here are a few more photos of Trevor while still at the hospital. We were there from Wednesday morning until Saturday mid-day. Thought it would be fun to get some of the same shots of both boys to compare looks! Trevor is a pretty mellow little guy. Dad was excited to see a faint "chim-ple" on Trevor (dimple in the chin as I call it!)

He has obviously been around noise for the past 9 mos. It shows - the first night we had him home, he was sound asleep while we were noisily eating dinner. Big brother Gavin is adjusting to him well. David and Jen took some good photos of him the first night we brought him home - more to come!

Trevor Martin Beam has arrived!

2011-04-28T16:20:00.002-06:00

After visiting the hospital twice since Monday morning, Trevor arrived - on our third visit. Of course, it happened after we agreed on a name on Sunday - and finished painting the wall unit in the family room - he knew he was allowed to come out and play!

I started having contractions at 9 on Sunday night. We waited around until 6:30 Monday moring. Joel took Gavin over to Maria's house and we got in the car to the U in rush hour traffic. Went up to the labor and delivery floor and they told me I was in pre-labor and to come back later. We went to Children's for breakfast then to my regular appt at 11. Dr. H said said we'd probably meet the new little guy by the end of week - not today, go home. Started having contractions again on Monday so Gavin spent the night at Maria's house. Still pre-labor, nothing changed, just intensity of contractions! So when it happened a third time, I thought I'd deal w the pain. This time, Joel took Gavin to Maria's at 2:30 in the morning and we drove down to the hospital for our third visit. This time it was for real! We checked in, and the staff had a bit of urgency this time - I was at 7 cm dialate - time to get moving. They got me upstairs and gave me the epidural. Then I pushed for 3 hours or so - baby wasn't moving down any further. Turns out his head was down but facing the wrong way - that's why he didn't move down any further. So, after that pain and torture, they prepped me for a C-Section. Another long process since they were going thru the same scar as previously.

At 11:23 on Wednesday, April 27, Trevor Martin Beam arrived. 7 lbs 7 oz and 20.25 inches long. He has a bit of a cone head due to the pushing earlier in the morning. He also has a pretty good head of dark brown hair. Very mellow, actually let us sleep quite a bit (so far!).

I was more than out of it on Wednesday and able to get out of bed today, Thursday!

Enough with the babble, I'll probably have to rewrite this after Joel tells me what really happened!

What's New?

2011-04-22T20:22:00.003-06:00

Mom's at 38+ weeks, baby has dropped and we still haven't agreed on a name! My co-workers check on me every morning to see if I'm still there!

In Gavin news, we got the curtains hung in his big boy room over the weekend so it isn't quite so bright in there. The room has a crib, thanks to the neighbors, a matching dresser and his big boy bed as we have been calling it! He took 1 nap in the crib then decided he was ready for the big boy bed. I figured, why not, if he wants to, we'll give it a try. He successfully slept in the bed 3 nights in a row. Then on Thursday night he thought he'd give his new found skill a try - opening doors! He left his bed 4x after being put down so mommy played hard ball and put him into the crib. He wasn't too happy about this and cried for a while then went to sleep. Tonight it was all business. Milk, read the boat book a few times and then he said "bye mommy" so I tucked him into his big boy bed, closed the door and left. I stayed upstairs for a while just in case but think he remembers last nights adventure! Not saying that he won't wander off again, but it worked tonight!

Last Friday when I picked him up from daycare, he was having fun at Maria's so I said "do you want to spend the weekend at Maria's?" Not realizing he understood what I said, we drove home - he wasn't happy. We got inside, let the dogs out and I went up to change. I heard him crying but it sounded far away. I walked back downstairs to realize that this kiddo can open doors - he was standing in the garage by the car wanting to get in to go back to Maria's house. I opened the car door and put him in his car seat. Daddy pulled in just then and was wondering what we were doing! It took a little while but he finally decided we were ok to hang out with for the weekend. But since then, he has been opening doors around the house. He must have grown just enough to turn the knobs!

When I picked him up from daycare yesterday, Maria said he had a good day - he was talking in sentences. Something must have clicked overnight - she was shocked at the change! He said something like "Maria, poop in diaper," the good phrases! He was also patting one of the smaller kids on the head saying, "It's ok baby, it's ok." It's a start! He usually tells me "No mommy, stop!" when I'm laughing.

Tonight daddy and Gavin were wrestling in the family room. Daddy was laying on the floor and G was running around him counting and jumping on him. He sees the older kids wrestle at daycare so he figures he can take on pops! Every once in a while he joins the big kids in a wrestling match, they're good with him and know his limits! Watch out Tractor, Gavin is getting ready!

Over and out.

Gavin's musical debut...

2011-04-01T21:29:00.002-06:00

We couldn't resist taking a few videos of G with his harmonica. He likes to see what we're taking pictures of so he comes over to inspect!

Last one, music!

2011-04-01T21:18:00.002-06:00

As you can see the birthday festivities lasted for about a week. I'm still asking mommy and daddy where the cup-a-cakes are. I think they're just hiding them from me.

Cousin Landyn send me some really cool musical instruments - including a harmonica which I love to play. I picked that up pretty quickly. It's fun to make noise! I had a fun birthday. Mom keeps telling me that there is a baby in my future and I'll have to be a big boy and help out and be nice to it. I'm not quite sure what she's talking about. I'm her one and only!

We had my 2 year visit with Dr. Mike on Thursday. They say I'm 34" tall and 25 lbs. Dad measured me again and only came up with 33.5" - come on daddy! I also got 2 shots - that wasn't fun. Mommy took my band-aids off that evening and I did not want her to. I kept saying "banaids" but she just didn't get it. She thought I wanted a banana. NO silly! She finally got the band-aids out of the can and tried to put them back on me but they weren't sticky so daddy tried to get some replacements but they just weren't the same. Then they distracted me with a walk around the neighborhood and I got to see Riley and Morgan. That's it. Now I'm two - watch out.

The second half of my party...

2011-04-01T21:11:00.003-06:00

We spared Uncle David and Aunt Jen the toddler part of the festivities. They joined us for dinner, also called leftover mania! They did their part and ate steamed veggies, hummus and guac!

Can I have some of your veggies Uncle David?

What did Kaylee get me? This feels weird!

More Birthday Party Shots!

2011-04-01T21:05:00.002-06:00

Gavin and his buddy, Kaylee! She came down from college for the party. She was Gavin's first babysitter when he was 13 weeks old!

Daycare wrestling buddy, Thomas, and his mom, Renee!

Our buddies, Derek and James came up from Littleton.

Gavin's best neighbor buds, Morgan, Liz and Riley. He is always very excited to see the girls!

Tatum, Jen, Theresa and Asher, my co-workers!

Birthday Party!

2011-04-01T20:58:00.004-06:00

On Saturday, we had a party for G. We had some of his little buddies come over for a visit. It's a little tough sharing your toys with everyone else, but we managed! We had more cup-a-cakes and apps compliments of Costco! Henry saw the cupcakes from across the room and made a bee-line for the high chair. He was not going to miss this! Liam also enjoyed his cupcake! More photos in next post! Thanks to Kaylee, we got a few shots of G blowing out his candle!

Opening presents on his birthday!

2011-04-01T20:51:00.002-06:00

After dinner on 3/23, we though we'd let Gavin open a few gifts. We wanted to save a few for Saturday night when Uncle David and Aunt Jen came over for dinner. Here are a few of G wearing his birthday shirt from last year - yes Miriam, I retired it after I saw him in it. It's a bit small! Gavin's favorite gift of the night was the calculator from Maria! She says all the kids LOVE playing with the calculators at her house. It was certainly a hit! He also liked his new choo choos! I must say, he really got into blowing out candles and singing "Happy to you"!

Baking Cup-a-cakes!

2011-04-01T20:47:00.003-06:00

The night before Gavin's birthday, we made cupcakes in ice cream cones to take to daycare. Well, daddy made them and Gavin and I helped ice and sprinkle them. We also taste tested them! I think Gavin liked them. For the next week he'd come home and ask for a "cup-a-cake."

Birthday week!

2011-04-01T20:40:00.002-06:00

Millie sent Gavin his birthday present early. It was sitting in the dining room on the table for about a week before his curiosity got the best of him. One day he pulled it off the table and carried it into the kitchen, got up in his learning tower and decided it was time to unwrap it! He was very excited to see new bath toys! He can tell you that there is a dolphin and a frog in the set. The first night we used the toys he insisted on putting everything back in the box after his bath. That's our organized kiddo. Thanks for the fun toys Millie!

Stinker!

2011-04-01T20:37:00.004-06:00

The same night as the sandbox photos, daddy must have been at CTRC volunteering. Gavin decided he needed some water so he got his booster seat and took it over to the fridge. He was just tall enough to reach the water and make a mess! We don't usually let him have cups without lids so he was pretty impressed with his wet self!

My sandbox

2011-04-01T20:30:00.002-06:00

Each night after work/daycare, Gavin and I take the doggies out to the backyard. This has become quite the routine. We don't even go into the house first, we get out of the car, get the mail then let the dogs out the back door. Gavin proceeds to find his dump truck, shovels and bucket and we take them to the backyard. On the evening these photos were taken, we had to do a diaper change half way thru playing so these photos are from post-diaper change. He doesn't really let me put his pants back on. He also requested his boots. You'll get a good chuckle out of these!

Just a few more photos!

2011-03-10T11:01:00.002-07:00

Funny videos

2011-03-10T10:50:00.004-07:00

Uncle David and Aunt Jen stopped by for dinner one night after work. Jen, Joel and I were finishing our meals while David and Gavin were running around the house. David would run around and lay down flat on the floor in the living room. Gavin would be chasing him and lay down on the floor next to him. I was a little slow in capturing this but here are the boys wrestling!

The next video is on Valentines Day playing with the bath tub letters from Grandma Miriam. Gavin is saying "What's that?" if you need a translation!

Photos from the pool

2011-03-10T10:42:00.003-07:00

Daddy has been taking Gavin to the rec center pool on Saturday mornings. They tried out the Lafayette pool but decided it was a tad chilly. So they started going to the Broomfield pool just a little further away. I went one Saturday to watch and take photos. The indoor pool consists of lap lanes, a lazy river and 2 giant tubes - 1 is for a double raft and the other is just to sit and slide down. Daddy carries Gavin up the stairs, puts him on his lap and down they go! They also enjoy going back and forth from the pool to the family hot tub. Here are a few fun photos - unfortunately my battery died so I didn't get too many but Grandma Miriam went on another visit and will hopefully forward some photos (hint, hint!)

Folks are starting to say Gavin looks like daddy. What do you think?

in the buff

2011-02-17T07:51:00.002-07:00

maria has said that after naps she walks into the room and she has a naked little boy staring back at her. well, this morning i went into his room and sure enough, the kid had his pjs sitting on the crib railing - just like we do - and was attempting to take off his diaper. he was done with nighttime and ready for the day. joel said "oh yeah, he did that yesterday too." i think that's how he makes sure we get to him sooner rather than later! maria said if he poops in his pack-n-play, we're getting it back to clean it! ugh! she said he'd probably be joining the big kids on the mats soon since he's getting too big for the p-n-p. she has waited longer than with some of the other kids since g is a bit stubborn and she thinks it will take a few days for him to actually take a nap and not be too disruptive to the other nappers! stay tuned on that one!

in "tractor" news. he didn't want me to sit down and work too much at the office yesterday. i had to keep standing up because it felt like he was rolling and rolling and rolling. we're going to have two very active little boys on our hands! the grandmas are laughing at me right now.

cheers!

January/February photos

2011-02-09T21:09:00.002-07:00

Playing in my tunnel while Riley and Morgan pull it around the living room. Those big kids, they sure know how to liven up the place!

Eating grapes in my new hat! I like grapes. Mom keeps having me taste oranges - they're certainly an acquired taste but I keep trying!

Tissues are fun!

Playing with the cake carrier while daddy makes cake!

Dressed up to shovel snow - too much snow for me. I'll let daddy do it. I even let mommy put on my cool Crocs boots. Pretty stylish, aren't I. Now if I'd just let mom put my winter coat on - hah!

Dump truck driver

2011-02-09T21:03:00.002-07:00

When he's not doing chores, he likes to run around the house with his toys. He has been pushing his (Liam's) dump truck around the house. Joel and I were finishing dinner and Gavin decided he needed a running start from the bathroom to the kitchen table. You can hear him counting - 2, 3, 2. Getting big, isn't he! 22+ months already.

Everyone asks what words is he saying these days - whatever we say, he says. For better or worse, he can now repeat almost anything we say. Unfortunately when he recites the words later we're not always sure what he is saying and he gets a little frustrated with us. Luckily he is content to take our hand and show us what he is talking about. He is very good at letting us know when he wants more - he uses his sign language and words for the best results. Some of his favorite books right now are "Wheels on the bus", "Boats" and "The Belly Button" book, also know as "Belly butt".

Gavin's chores

2011-02-09T20:54:00.002-07:00

Gavin is really into doing laundry as you'll see (we can use this video later in life when his room is a mess!)! He likes putting clothes into the washer, pressing buttons to start the machine (luckily there is a child lock so he doesn't change the cycle) and by far, his favorite thing to do is listen for the music telling us the load is ready for the dryer. He hears the tune and runs into the laundry room and waits for us to open the door. From there he takes everything out and puts it into the dryer. He likes to close the dryer door then mommy lifts him up to press the start button.

In addition to laundry, Gavin enjoys loading and unloading the dishwasher - whether things are clean or not, vacuuming, recycling and toy "clean up", thanks to Maria!

Bye bye my little red car!

2011-01-27T08:43:00.003-07:00

With Joel starting a new job and another little person on the way, my 2 door Civic's days were numbered. I bought this car about a year after I moved out to Colorado - the Mighty Probe's heating system died and I wasn't about to get it fixed. So along came the little red Civic - el-strip-o as peppy would say - manual everything and no A/C! We got it detailed last Wednesday, posted it on CL on Friday and sold it on Saturday morning. Besides a few minor scratches and dings, she still looked good after 10 years! We had 4 people scheduled to take a look at her and had to call them all back and say "Sorry, it's gone!" A little sad to see my first and only new car drive away with someone else. Oh well, as Joel says - "It's only a car!" We upgraded - slightly - to a 4 door Civic. Now David and I have basically the same car. I think that's where we started back in NJ - isn't it - he had a blue Eclipse and I had the blue Probe. Hmmm! Well, here is one last photo of the ol girl. Farewell!

New Routine

2011-01-27T08:35:00.003-07:00

Joel started his new job on Monday - the first computer-related job in a long time that he has to go into an office like the rest of us working stiffs! He has been waking up at 5:45 to get showered and out the door. I actually see him for a brief moment in the mornings now! He gets Gavin up and out the door at 7 and on his way to work in north Denver. I am taking the early bus home to pick up G from Maria's. Something new for me! I might actually start to know the names of the kids Gavin spends his days with!

I'm continuing to work from home on Thursdays so G can "sleep in" and we can take our time getting moving - right! Thursday is trash and recycle day. This morning, Gavin and I sat in bed and read the fish book and the choo choo book. Then it was time to get dressed and take out the trash/recycle and let the dogs out. Well, in doing all that, I locked us out of the house - yeah! Luckily daddy was smart and gave the neighbor a spare key. Gavin and I walked down the street and retrieved it. On with the morning, time to go to daycare. We walked - it was pretty nice for a January morning - mid-30s and sunshine!

We got to Maria's house, I unclipped Gavin from his stroller, got him up the steps and off he went. Left his snack trap by the door and went right to Maria. This kid is trained - he heard breakfast in the background. He took her hand and off they went - no messing around! Good job little man!

Choo Choo!

2011-01-01T21:29:00.004-07:00

Two videos. The first is from Christmas day. The second is from New Year's Eve. Gavin and daddy are still enjoying the new train set. Check out G's new hair style on the second video! We call it bed head!

Uncle David's House at Christmas

2011-01-01T21:18:00.002-07:00

You wouldn't believe what my little brother does for the holidays. He certainly goes all out. Just check out these photos!

Just kidding! On the eve of New Year's Eve, Joel wanted to jump in the car and go check out two houses just over the hill in Broomfield. You can probably see them from the moon. Unbelievable!

The latest bath shots

2011-01-01T21:15:00.002-07:00

Just because he cracks us up, here are a few of Gavin's latest bath shots!

Christmas Evening Photos

2011-01-01T21:05:00.002-07:00

After nap time, we headed up to Uncle David and Aunt Jen's place in Loveland. We loaded food, a special present from Grandma Joyce and Mr. Gavin into the car. Uncle David was eager for us to open gifts when we arrived. Gavin, however, just wanted to chase the "meow meows" around the house. Jen's cats aren't thrilled about this and retreat to the guest bedroom once they know there is a small person after them! Gavin eventually figured out how to get onto the trundle bed so we had to be sure to stay close in case of a cat claw encounter!

We opened presents! Gavin got a tent/tube from Grandma Joyce. Daddy put it together and Uncle David was the first inside. He made the comment that evening that he and I were playing with Gavin's toys instead of Gavin! Leave it to the Auerbach kids! Uncle David and Aunt Jen are always very generous with gift giving. Gavin got a drum, Croc boots (which we're still working on getting him to wear), a toy clock and an elephant stuffed animal. We had a tasty dinner followed by more cat and Gavin games. We had to take the traditional photo in front of Jen and Dave's Christmas tree. We did this 2 years ago with bump number 1, now known as Gavin. This year we took photos with bump number two, still to be named! (I'll have to get those photos from David)

Christmas morning photos

2011-01-01T20:54:00.004-07:00

We started off Christmas early at our house. I got up and made coffee cake and peach pie followed by Joel making cranberry sauce for our afternoon visit with the Lovelanders (David and Jen).

First, it must be noted that I only put up the mini tree this year not sure what Mr. G would do with the larger one - being that we use the living room as his play room. The odds that it would get knocked over by a little red fire engine would have been high!

We sat down to open a few gifts after breakfast. Gavin had a definite favorite (after visiting with Cousin Landyn this fall!). He started by opening the bag with the soccer ball. Ok. Then he opened the books from Grandma Joyce (which he said to her on the phone on New Years Eve!). Daddy read them to him with Harley by their side. Next, he opened the box from Cousin Landyn and Uncle Neil and Aunt Rebekah - a hit. If you look closely, you can see his lips saying "Choo Choo"! Daddy had to dump everything out of the box and put it together right away. We've been playing with it ever since! It currently resides in the main entrance on the tile floor.

My Crocs

2011-01-01T20:51:00.002-07:00

We keep telling Uncle David that our favorite pair of shoes are our brown animal Crocs. See for yourself!

Cookie Baking - part 2

2010-12-16T12:49:00.005-07:00

Since we had a lot of icing left over (and didn't want it to go to waste) Joel, Gavin and I baked another round of cookies on Tuesday night. Gavin had fun with the spatula - throwing the cookies onto the baking sheet - and of course eating the icing! Every time I'd try to get a smiling boy photo, he'd change his expression. He's into looking at every photo I take these days - good critic!

Neil and Rebekah - the "Learning Tower" has come in very handy! Thanks. :)

Cookie Baking

2010-12-16T12:44:00.003-07:00

I thought it would be fun to get the kids together and back some holiday cookies. Or just make a mess and eat sprinkles off the kitchen table - both activities were fun!

Morgan and Riley came over and so did Maddie and little brother Henry. The girls had it figured out. The little boys were busy running around the house for the most part. Here are a few of the highlights!

Our little man!

2010-12-16T12:38:00.003-07:00

Gavin and daddy watching Thomas the Train on mom's laptop.
Motorcycle dude Gavin!
When Miriam was in town, we went out the night before Thanksgiving and got G some larger clothes - 24 mos! Can't believe it. Either we're shrinking EVERYTHING or this little boy is growning!

Last weekend we decided it was time for a new music CD. Joel and I were getting a little tired of dancing to the Nutcracker over and over again. We went to Borders and picked up a few new classical CDs. While there Gavin and I sat for a few minutes for storytime, had some hot coco and used paste to put decoration onto our very own Christmas tree! Gavin didn't want to give the paste back but we prevailed and were able to leave the store!

Hanukkah photos

2010-12-16T12:32:00.003-07:00

Gavin had fun watching daddy light the Hanukkah candles this year. On the first night, we Skyped with Grandma and Grandpa in California and opened a present. G also enjoyed eating daddy's potato pancakes!

Cute shots!

2010-12-16T12:30:00.001-07:00

Just a few shots of Gavin in his hat from Grandma Miriam. Not sure if I've already posted them or not!

It's a...BOY!

2010-12-12T21:18:00.002-07:00

We had our 20 week ultrasound on Friday. Joel met me at work and we walked over to the U. It was a matter of seconds until the ultrasound tech asked if we wanted to know gender. We said - YES! She said "It's a boy!" We couldn't believe it. Everyone bet on a girl this time around - so did we. Gavin is going to have a little brother to wrestle - I'll be off the hook - eventually! The tech said everything else looked good - all parts accounted for.

We left the U and immediately started making phone calls. Mom, Grandma Miriam, Grandpa John, Neil and David! Just like with Gavin, David had the best response - very excited - good uncle! I think he really wanted a niece. He emailed me the day before with weight and name suggestion. I told him to save the name for his future kiddos! No pressure!

Now the fun begins. Who does Tractor Beam become? We should have it figured out by late April! Stay tuned...

BTW: I doctored up the photos a little so the kiddo was highlighted.

Gavin's new toy!

2010-12-02T15:19:00.002-07:00

it's a little long but funny!

Thanksgiving Photos

2010-12-02T15:16:00.002-07:00

Thanksgiving Visit

2010-12-02T15:05:00.002-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Beam drove to town for Thanksgiving. They took a few days on the front end of their trip and visited Flagstaff, AZ and Santa Fe, NM. They arrived on Tuesday and left that Sunday. We had a nice Thanksgiving. Uncle David and Aunt Jen came down from Loveland. We had quite a feast! Daddy had the brilliant idea of putting his office mat under G's high chair in the dining room. Good idea. What the mat didn't get, the dogs did!

Gavin got to celebrate Hanukkah a few days early when his slide toy came on Black Friday. Daddy promptly put it together and Gavin was on it in seconds (photos/video included). We decided to put it together in the living room since it's a few degrees warmer than the basement!

Grandpa and Gavin chased each other around the family room - Grandpa wanted to sit down every once in a while. He was greeted by a funny look on his grandson's face - come on grandpa, let's go! Grandpa promptly got up for some more!

Thursday In The Hood

2010-11-12T12:22:00.004-07:00

I think the pictures say enough!!

Halloween photos from Uncle David

2010-11-08T20:36:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos that David took on Halloween.

Silly kid!

2010-11-07T13:04:00.003-07:00

We came home from the park today covered in wood chips so we took G's pants off in the garage. Gavin must be watching the kids at daycare lately. He went and got his stool and took it into the bathroom. We peeked in to see what he was doing in there. This kid is a character! Mom has put him on the potty a few times to see what he'd do. Nothing yet. Just practicing!

Gavin's buddies

2010-11-07T12:49:00.003-07:00

These are Gavin's buds from down the street, Riley and Morgan (big brother Josh missing from photo!). They like to come over and play. Gavin gets very excited when we walk by their house. We're still working on saying Morgan but he's got Riley down!

18 mos - Words!

2010-11-07T12:46:00.002-07:00

The grams have been asking if Gavin talks at all and what he says. When I'm on the spot like that I can't remember half of what he says. This is now an old list but thought you'd enjoy it...

turtle

shoes

tickle

dog

baby

book

nose

toes

choo choo

mama

dada

hah

pop pop (for the popper toy)

peek-a-boo

Maria

ball

night night

owie

down

fish

water (wawa)

off

hot

bump (for fist bump)

socks

Sturgis

Harley

jacket

hat

blanket

please

thank you

Riley (his favorite neighbor friend!)

Halloween festivities

2010-11-07T12:35:00.002-07:00

We attended the annual pumpkin carving party at Katie and Zach's again this year. I count this being the 8th annual that I've attended - that makes Zach 15!!! He's growing up, the rest of us aren't changing a bit! We had a great visit, ate some fabulous mac and chili! Didn't get around to the pumpkin carving this year since Mr. G gets to bed by 8 - but it was still a good time!

The next day was Halloween so we carved our little pumpkin and ate the baked pumpkin seeds. That evening Uncle David and Aunt Jen stopped over for dinner and to walk the neighborhood with us for some candy (and to show Fireman Gavin off to the neighbors). Uncle David has the good photos he'll send us soon!!!

Gavin's favorite part was sitting on the front porch with me waiting for the kids to walk up. He was dressed in his costume and liked seeing all of the other kids. I showed him how to hand out candy - since he always likes to have something in both hands it was perfect. He would run down the driveway to look around. When he saw that someone was coming he would race back to sit on my lap. I'd hand him candy and he would put it into the kids bags. The first few pieces of candy were hard to part with but after a few, he got good at it! We actually shut the light off early because we ran out of candy. That just meant we got to visit the neighbors that much sooner! Next year we might even share Gavin's candy with him - maybe!

Photos

2010-11-07T12:30:00.003-07:00

Hat day! It was chilly the other morning so I put Gavin's hat on him (look familiar Kristal?). He came down and wanted daddy to wear his hat too!
Gavin enjoys putting things into the dishwasher after dinner. He has gotten good at opening and closing the door and every once in a while, he'll sit and play. The only problem is when we are running the dishwasher - there is a child-lock on the buttons - but not on the door lock. He is still able to open the door when it's running. That means we have to close the door, undo the child-lock and start again! Stinker!This is the day that Gavin got his cast taken off! YEAH!

And last but not least...

2010-10-19T21:55:00.003-06:00

Monday was a busy day.

Joel took Gavin to his follow up appointment at North Campus and he got his cast removed! YEAH - that meant it was finally bath night! Gavin certainly enjoyed that.

I also had a doctors appointment. It was just to confirm that Gavin will become a big brother in early May! We've nicknamed this little one "Tractor" Beam!

Seattle - Uncle Bruce and Pumpkins with Landyn

2010-10-19T21:45:00.003-06:00

On Friday, we went up for another quick visit with Uncle Bruce. We took the dogs to a big dog park. Gavin had fun playing on the dog park toys - up and down, up and down! After that we had lunch and were on our way back to Neil's house. We got back in the car and went to pick some pumpkins! The pumpkin patch was too far away so we hit up the grocery store! Got a few good photos! After pumpkins we stopped by the lake and chased ducks. That night the kids ran around the house chasing meow meow's. Landyn also put a few of the wrestling moves Neil told us about on Gavin. She had him down for the count. Not even the camo cast could save him! We'll work on that for next time cuz!Visiting with Uncle Bruce at the dog park.
Cousin Landyn at the "pumpkin patch."
The brothers Beam and their kiddos!
Uncle Neil and cousin Landyn walking by the lake.

Seattle - more visits!

2010-10-19T21:35:00.003-06:00

On Thursday, we visited the Pacific Science Center. A co-worker's son, Zach, works there so we got a chance to visit with him and explore the museum! We saw an IMAX movie - which Gavin was very entertained by, and played in the toddler exhibit for a long time. Gavin really enjoyed the water that surrounded the tots area - probably since he hadn't had a real bath in about 5 weeks!

That evening we visited my college buddy, "motorcycle" Sue and her husband. I haven't seen Sue since I moved to CO 11 years ago. It was great to see her and catch up on 11 years of adventures. Gavin slept in the car for about 2 hours so we had time to chat! She still owns a motorcycle and does her ceramics and has lots of fun stories about the places she's lived - she looks the same as I remember!

Joel riding the elevated bicycle at the museum.
Gavin driving a helicopter.
At the tots water tub!
Visiting with Sue. No comments on the humidity hair, please!

Seattle - Visit downtown and cousins

2010-10-19T21:26:00.002-06:00

On Wednesday, we left Gavin with Landyn and her babysitter. Joel and I drove down to Seattle to visit the Art Museum. I have always wanted to see the native american exhibit there since in college a professor always spoke about the collection. It was great! After that, we walked up the street to the Pikes Place Market - we watched the guys throw fish to each other! After that we walked a bunch of steps down to the waterfront. Nice to see a large body of water for a change!

We visited with Joel's cousin Tamar, Robert and their kids, Liam and Lucy for dinner. We had a yummy dinner and got to hang out and catch up for a while.

Seattle - Visit with Aunt Susan

2010-10-19T21:16:00.002-06:00

On Tuesday, we drove south of Seattle to visit Aunt Susan, my dads youngest sister. She's been out west since the mid-90s. It was great to catch up with her and to have her see Gavin again. Joel enjoyed her husbands Packard collection.

Seattle - hanging out with cousin Landyn

2010-10-19T21:08:00.002-06:00

The kiddos got a chance to hang out together on Monday. Gavin enjoyed playing with new toys, getting new ideas from cousin and chasing the meow meows! Landyn is 2.5 and has an inch or two on Gavin and gets around pretty quickly.

A few more shots from the museum...

2010-10-19T21:05:00.001-06:00

Seattle - visit with Uncle Bruce!

2010-10-19T20:54:00.003-06:00

On Sunday, we drove up to Everett to visit with Uncle Bruce, Jackie, Dan, Jen and their kids Jack and Emmie. Neil and Landyn joined us and we had a nice brunch and visit to the Everett Children's Museum. It was great to catch up with the family and watch the kids run around the museum. Landyn got a bit wet after a visit to the "water room". We saw the sun that day - a first for my Seattle experience! Joel now thinks sun is a daily occurance in the northwest since this was his first visit up that way!

Uncle Bruce, Dan, Gavin, Joel, me, Landyn, Jack, Emmie, Jackie and Jen (Mike and Maggie not facing camera!)
Landyn, Jack and Gavin.
Uncle Bruce, Gavin and Jackie. We took this toy to every visit we made - it was a good thing! Thanks Landyn for letting us borrow your toys!

Landyn at the museum!

Our trip to Seattle - part 1!

2010-10-19T20:37:00.002-06:00

We took a trip out to Seattle last week. The flight was around lunch time so we needed a quick bite to eat! Lucky us, the airport has a McDonalds! We exposed Gavin to his first taste of the good stuff. He ate a chicken nugget, french fries and tested out my orange drink! Don't get used to it kid!

We stayed with Joel's brother and wife (Neil, Rebekah and cousin Landyn). Gavin especially liked their cats - meow meow's, as he called them while chasing them around the house. Landyn and Gavin had fun playing and running around together - it was fun to see them interact.

My first haircut!

2010-10-18T21:47:00.002-06:00

Joel was at CTRC volunteering and Gavin and I had to run a few errands. Just so happened that "Cheap" Clips was on our way! We decided to stop in to see if anyone could give an 18 month old a 2 second haircut. The gal said sure! Mommy forgot her camera but Gavin did great! He got to sit in the big chair with a booster, didn't want the smock but was content to hold his own comb! He got a quick spritz with water, comb thru and off it came! 10 minutes later my baby looked like a little boy - what would daddy think! It was, of course, the first thing he noticed when he walked in the door! I think it took us about a week to get used to G's new doo! He is a little boy now! (We only had her trim the back and sides, now the top looks really short!)