Wanted to get this down...

I'm working on Disney pictures for a blog update, but over half of the pictures were taken in RAW by mistake! (Greg: Honey, what's all this crap on the screen on your camera? -while pushing buttons- Me: It's a HISTOGRAM! Don't touch it!)hehehehe... So, I need to figure out how to process RAW in Photoshop 7. I think I need to use a plug in, but I just haven't had the time to mess with it yet.

I did want to get this down though... This morning Gabe and I were sitting on the couch watching some TV (or as Gabe calls it, 'TD') and he looked up at me and said, "Mommy, I'm so glad you're here". Oh my goodness. That was the most wonderful thing I've ever heard.

He has no idea how much that little statement made me feel so happy. Of course, he probably meant, I'm glad you're here and I'm not at daycare today. On Thursdays and Fridays he'll say, "No Monica's, right Mom?" It's not that he doesn't enjoy daycare, but I think it's that he enjoys our days at home together. So do I, buddy, so do I. And, I'm so glad YOU're here too.

It's been nearly 3 years since this awesome boy became a part of our family. I can't imagine one second of my life without him here. I can't imagine a day in my life where I didn't hear his adorable toddler voice.

I'm so glad I'm here too, buddy. So glad.

Happy Halloween!

Wasn't he the cutest Toodah ever? I wanted to make sure I got this down... This is how Gabe sang trick or treat:

"Twicked or Tweet, smell my feet, give me somefing good to eat. If you not, I don't care, I'll pull my underwear down!"

He learned this from his buddy Will last year, and this year he started singing it again. It was so funny! We had a great Halloween. Gabe and his friend, McCarthy (my BFF's grandson), went trick or treating together. We drove them around in the suburban, or as I like to call the "super ban". We had a really great time. It was another one of those moments where I just stopped for a minute and remembered a time when I wondered if I'd ever be doing this. If I'd ever hear a child say, "C'mon, Mom! Let's go to diss house!" My heart was warmed so much by this excited little guy tonight.

After trick or treating, we headed over to Poke's house for the 6th Annual Hurloween. Gabe and I stayed for supper and visited for a bit, and Daddy stayed to hang out with the guys. Gabe had a busy day today, so he pretty much crashed as soon as his head hit the pillow. Hurloween was fun... I had a really nice compliment from Poke about my photography. We love Poke and Cari. They are great friends and it's nice to know we've got an ongoing get together each year with such great people.

Well, I have to say, shocked... two posts in two days?! Wowza!

Oh, and.......... we're leaving for Disney in 7 days!!!!!!!!

Yes, We're Still Here!

Ok, so I've been like the worst blogger ever. I haven't updated in so long. Life has been so busy for us lately. Fall has been CRAZY busy. My photography business has really been picking up - I already have 2 weddings for the beginning of next year. And, when I say next year, I mean I have one on January 1st and the other on January 2nd! One of them is rather small, so it shouldn't be too much work, but the other one will be a full day. Am I nuts? Yes, I think so. The good news is, I'm learning more and more with each session that I take and I'm liking each session better than the one before.

Ok, now onto the Gabers! He's really growing and changing so much. He's saying things like "I have an idea!" or "I pet Jinxi so she more comfortable!". He is doing great potty training. We still put a diaper on him at night, but daytime, he never has accidents. Right now, he's REALLY into his M.A.S.K. guys. M.A.S.K. is a cartoon Greg used to watch when he was little. Honestly, the animation is pretty crappy, but Gabe (and Greg!) love it. I love watching Gabe play with Greg's old toys. Greg's mom had saved some of them and gave them to Gabe. He just loves them.

This year for Halloween, Gabe is going to be Woody from Toy Story. He looks SO adorable in his costume! We took him out to my mom and dad's tonight since my mom has to work tomorrow. He even sang, "Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat... if you don't, I don't care, I'll pull down your underwear!" But Gabe says, "if you not, I don't care, I'll pull my underwear down!" Too funny.

Well, I did just want to get an update out there because it's been almost 2 months exactly since I've posted. I'll try harder. I'll make it a priority, I promise!! :)

Life is good.

He says he wants to be a "copper". (aka cop) and he won't give Mommy and Daddy any tickets! It's so cute, he'll say "When Gabe grows up, Gabe be a copper and no tickets Mommy and Daddy."

Recently, things have been getting busier for Gabe's Mom. I had 2 sessions this week, then I've got 2 senior sessions next week and already 2 lined up for the beginning of September. I know it doesn't seem like much, but to me, it's a lot! AND, senior sessions are my FAVORITE. Seniors are so much fun to work with. They'll do anything for you. You don't have to constantly fight to get their attention, bribe them with candy, threaten bedtime, etc... (gee, guess who was a difficult photo subject today!?)

Life is good right now. Busy, but good. I'm enjoying my new business a lot, my Gabers has been having many less tantrums, and Greg's been home quite a bit lately. Life is good.

Learning

I've written a lot of posts about watching Gabe learn a lot of new things. But, I don't know if I've really written much about the things I've learned since becoming a parent. So, I thought I'd share some of those things. I wanted to get them down for Gabe since (hopefully!!!) someday, he'll want to have children too.

• I've learned that I am capable of loving someone more than I ever thought I would. I had no idea that a smile on your child's face, can make your day 100% better. I had no idea the amount of joy your child could bring just by talking to you on the phone, or giving you a hug, or just saying "Thank you, Mommy" (Gabespeak: "Tank you, Mommy")
• I knew I would love watching our parents with Gabe. But I've learned that just seeing Gabe can make their day better. If my mom's had a bad week at work, seeing "her Gabers" she says is just what she needs. Or, when PawPaw H was in the hospital, his face lit up when he saw Gabe. Grandparents love their grandkids so very much!
• I've also learned that Grandparents give your child WAY too much sugar. They love seeing Gabe enjoying candy. Gabe knows Abba Piff (now Abba Piff instead of Abba Piss) will give him "tweets" and he knows where PawPaw H's treat drawer is. It's too cute.
• I've learned that God has really blessed us with sleep and renewal time. Meaning, you could've had a really rough day with your kiddo, but then when you wake up the next morning, the first person you want to see is him! When Gabe was a baby, I used to miss him when he slept. I still do now, but now, he and I sleep the same hours. And, I have to admit, naptime for him is downtime for me!
• I've also learned that each age comes with it's own challenges AND blessings. (Another God thing). When Gabe was a baby, the fussiness was hard, but the cuddling was my favorite. I loved giving him baths, I loved watching all of his firsts, and I loved feeding him. As a toddler, the tantrums have been tough, the "sassy talking" has been tough to control, and the timeouts haven't been fun. But, the hugs, the conversations, the "La U Mom"'s, and the joy of seeing him try new things have been so wonderful.
• I've also learned that you need to make time with your spouse. It's so important not to focus your entire world only on your child... I've learned you need to remember your relationship as a couple as well.
  

I could write and write about the different things I've learned. I am learning everyday. How to be patient, how to put my own stuff aside and read a book to my boy, how to play on a playground again, how to enjoy swimming again, etc...

No matter the challenges, no matter the hard lessons, I am loving this life - being Gabe's Mom. I was meant to be his mommy and he was meant to be my boy. That's not something I've learned, that's just something I know.

my reasons for lack of blogging.....

Life as we know it:

• Gabe's Dad gone on 2 week long business trips
• a bachelorette party
• 1 or 2 photography sessions each week
• a toddler full of energy
• processing pictures until I go to bed
• IM's
• Tiredness
• Nonstop at work
• No smoking (never promise something on your kid... especially when life gets stressful!)
• Nearly late to work every morning (I swear Gabe knows when I'm running late)
• 2 weddings down, 2 to go
• Did I mention tiredness?
• Dental appointments

Ok, now there have been some really great things happening too:

• Gabe and I have really been bonding more - cooking together, laughing a lot, reading books (Love You Forever is our favorite right now)
• I'm totally engrossed in the Twilight series and I can't stop reading at night
• Gabe and I have the following conversation:

Me: I'll love you .....

Gabe: Foreber.

Me: I'll like you....

Gabe: for alldays

Me: and as long as I'm living, my....

Gabe: baby we'll be!

Reading this book to my boy nearly makes me cry every time. I always sway him towards that one when he nods his head and says, "Mom, just one more book?" Well, ok.....

My little Gabey, I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, and as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be.

All my love,

Mommy.

He's a Firecracker!

Ah, my little pyro. Your Daddy has sure gotten you interested in fireworks! It is really cute to see you with a sparkler, and thankfully, you're still afraid of the big stuff, although tonight, I saw you carrying a Roman candle to Daddy.

I'm in for it.

You've been a little challenging lately as far as obeying... I say one thing and it seems like you want to do the opposite. You're my firecracker! But, you have been really affectionate lately - you've let me hold you, you've given more hugs and kisses. I guess that makes up for the, "No Gabe do it!" and the "No, bad Mommy!" statements I've been hearing lately. :) I love you, boy, but yes, it's been a challenging couple of weeks.

Speaking of "No, Gabe do it!", you STILL talk about yourself in the 3rd person. I think that is so funny! "Gabe go potty!", or "Gabe wants a hotdog for wunch", or "Gabe wike AAAAApple juice". And, speaking of potty, YOU are doing GREAT!! You go into the bathroom by yourself and go as long as you can get your pants, and you ask us when we're in public. You really have been a breeze to potty train. We're still working on #2 and during the night, but daytime, you're "trained"! Way to go big boy! Once you're completely potty-trained, we're getting you a fish tank.

I love you, my little firecracker! You're the light of my life.

Witnessing a Big Kid

Just some things I noticed today that tell me I've got a big boy on my hands:

• "Mommy, Please apple juice." (apple juice given) "Tank you".
• "Ah Potty. Ah Pottttttty!!!!!!" -meaning he had to go NOW. He went on the potty chair and peed like a gallon.
• He sat in the stroller for at least an hour walk around town and behaved wonderfully!
• Didn't freak out when he didn't get his way. I was able to calmly talk him out of a potential tantrum.
• Played outside all morning and listened to Mommy when I said graham crackers - not cookies - were the snack and that he had to have his shoes on to go outside.
• He ate his entire soup with a spoon! And, he's drinking out of a big boy cup at meal time.

Isn't this awesome?? Such a great thing. But, kinda sad to see my baby growing up before my eyes! I know, everyone says it will go fast. But this fast?? Geesh. I'm so proud of my little boy today.

About Mother's Day

It was a great Mother's Day this year... We went to Gabe's Dad's parents' house and spent the afternoon there. We celebrated Mother's Day with my mom a couple of days before. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mom and mother in law. They have been so supportive of us and our family. I hope that someday Gabe will feel the same about me. I am very fortunate to have my mom, Greg's mom and my sisters in law, Missy and Jen in my life because they are wonderful examples of what Moms should be. They have all taught me so much about being a mom - loving my child, teaching my child, disciplining my child, etc... I love each of these women so much.

Here are my awesome "in laws". We had a great Mother's Day with them.

My sisters in law and my mother in law.

Laughing at PawPaw. I love this picture even though I look like a major dork.

Gabe learning how to play baseball with "Uncle Jesse" (he calls Uncle Jeffy "Uncle Jesse"!)

Picking Momma a flower.

Gabe with his cousins. I LOVE this picture because this facial expression is SO Gabe.

And, it was a Happy Mother's Day for this Momma Bird too! These baby birds hatched that morning!

I know I should be used to the fact by now, but sometimes I have to stop and and tell myself again that I'm a mom! I just still can't believe that I am so blessed. I never knew that it would be this wonderful. I am really, truly enjoying this age. Tonight, Gabe and I played "Spiderman" up in the playhouse while Daddy mowed below. I never thought that the highlight of my day would be throwing fake punches and pretending to be "got by the bad guy", but it really was. We had an absolute blast. He laughed so hard, and so did I! He kept saying, "More Mommy!" and he'd just laugh and laugh and laugh. Just sitting here now, I could cry thinking about how much I love my little boy.

I thought of all of you waiting moms out there too, like I do every Mother's Day. I know how hard it is to hold out hope for your child. That you will conceive, or that your child's birth mom will stay healthy carrying your child, or that your overseas trip will be a safe one, etc... All I can tell you is don't give up - hold out hope. God knows the desires of your heart. Pray. Wait. Hope. Endure... I promise you...

God will fulfill the desires of your heart. He knows what is best for you. I prayed that God would fulfill my heart's desire and He did. Bigger and better than I ever could have imagined. He will do that for you too. I really believe that. And, if having a child isn't a part of His plan for you, I believe He will fill that missing piece in another way. I believe He will make you complete, as long as He is the center of it all.

So, waiting moms, I am thinking of you as I know this time of year is a tough one. But, know that those of us who walked in your steps still have you on our minds. I know I haven't forgotten how it felt to be a Mom without a child. So, until that moment...

Pray. Wait. Hope. Endure.

I believe God will provide for you too.

Firsts

As a parent, you get the opportunity to witness a lot of "firsts". First bath, first word, first steps, first friends, etc... In the past couple of weeks, we've had a couple of firsts that I wanted to get down before I forget. Speaking of forgetfulness, this is one of the reasons I blog... I have a horrible memory. I think that's why I scrapbook too - I've got to get these things down so I don't forget to share them with Gabe. I don't want to forget these day to day things that have been so special in our lives together.

We took Gabe and his friends, Will & Patrick, out to Mrs. Hoobler's (she is the local preschool teacher that everyone had - everyone LOVES Mrs. Hoobler!!) because she had 3 baby ducks and several baby kittens that she thought the boys would like to see. First of all, I love watching Gabe with his friends. Will & Patrick are older than him, but Gabe doesn't let their age stop him. He's always keeping up with them, tagging right along. Anyway, back to the baby animals... It was so amazing to see Gabe hold a baby kitten for the first time. He was so excited to hold one, but when we finally gave him one, he got a little scared and didn't really want to hold it. So, we held one of them on his leg so he could pet it. That worked out a little bit better. It was such a neat experience to see him just sit still and pet the newborn kitty. He was very gentle and you could just tell he was being cautious and taking it all in. I remember holding kittens as a child. There's nothing like the warmth of a baby kitten and the soft sound of their cry and wimpers. It was very sweet to see my son experience that for the first time.

Tonight, we took Gabe to Walmart - which is always a gamble (you never know how a 2 year old is going to behave) - and he was excellent! He had a great nap today, which makes a huge difference in how he behaves. Seriously. At Walmart, we told him we would take him for ice cream if he was a good boy. So, we were getting ready to leave, and like always, I had to stop at the restroom first. When I came out of the restroom, Greg and Gabe were standing at the water fountain getting a drink. Gabe was facinated by the water fountain! I had to stop and just watch him because up to this point, I don't think he's seen us use a water fountain. He kept telling Greg, "More...More, Daddy drink". It was so cute to watch him - he thought it was the coolest. Then, Mommy had to have a few drinks, then Daddy again...

Then, we drove through the car dealership on the way home - just to look. It never even crossed my mind that Gabe's never been through a car dealership. He didn't understand why Daddy kept stopping the car and getting out. Then, Gabe wanted out.

I guess I had just taken for granted all of these little things that are new to you when you're a child. It has been a joy watching my son experience all of them. It's been a joy watching the look on his face when he gets a new concept, or when he really likes something, or even when he really dislikes something. As Gabe's getting older, I'm finding that each age is coming with it's own challenges, but also it's own really incredible new stages. I didn't know that I would enjoy his toddler years this much - I really do love it. Yes, the toddler years are challenging and you have the tantrums to deal with. But, you also have new things like, "La U too Mom" or "Gabe do it" or "Peese just one candy right now?"

I'm so blessed to get to experience all of it.

Reasons Why I Love My Abba Herrman

1. She loves me Way Up to the Sky!
2. She plays "guys" with me.
3. She makes me bacon
4. She introduced me to Lion King and Nemo
5. She loves spending time with her Gabers
6. She let me decorate sugar cookies and get frosting all over her.
7. She's married to my PawPaw - and he's pretty awesome too.
8. She has an AWESOME tweet (treat) drawer!
9. She knows how important "guy time" is, so she calls my cousin Braden to come play with me.
10. She's my Abba...maybe if Abba Smith says "no" Abba Herrman will say "yes". Or vice versa!
    

To You, My Easter Bunny

We had a great day today, buddy. Today we went to Abba Smith's work for their Easter egg hunt. You fell asleep in the car because it was right at nap time, so I carried you in. Everyone was ooing and ahhing at you as we came in because they thought you were so precious, asleep in my arms. I was really enjoying it because you don't stay still that long and want to cuddle much!

As soon as Abba saw us walk in, she woke you up to get you in with the other kids so you could find some eggs. You did great! You probably got 12-15 eggs. As soon as you found one, you wanted to sit down and open it up to see what was inside. Since they all had candy, you wanted to sit and eat it! We had to keep telling you to go find more eggs!

After the Easter egg hunt, we headed to Abba & PaPa's farm to go see PaPa and Uncle Dan. You had a great time with PaPa and Dan and talked them into giving you several treats. Including some chocolate-covered pretzels to take with you on the ride home. REALLY? Chocolate-covered pretzels IN THE CAR?? You can definitely tell when your parent has become a grandparent. Oh, and all of these treats right before SUPPER?? (I can definitely tell I've become a parent!) The treats didn't stop you... when we got home, you ate 3 pieces of pizza! All I can figure is that you're going through a growth spurt or something. Your appetite has really increased. Here are some of your favorite foods:

hotdogs
chips - you love chips - your favorite right now are baked BBQ
ce-dil (cereal) - you love Special K, Frosted Flakes, & Frosted Mini Wheats
Bacon - you LOVE bacon. This is a treat you like to have the most at Abba & PawPaw Herrmans.
Fruit - you still eat fruit very, very well - pretty much any kind
Ham
Pizza - pretty much a food you're guaranteed to eat.
Whoop - (Soup) You like Progresso's Chicken & Wild Rice - you can eat a whole can.

Those are just some of your favorites. Your appetite is increasing to more foods, but you love to snack. We have to keep a lot of animal crackers and those 100 calorie food packs around. "More Tweat Mommy!"

I love you little Gabers. Thanks so much for a great day together. As I say so often, "You make Mommy laugh".

Sugar Crash on the way home from the farm...

When we got home - you were all giggly - and chocolatey!

Long Overdue.

"See ya, Mom & Dad... I'm headed to Abba & PaPa's house."

Ok, I'm really sorry. After swearing to get better blogging, I have failed to do so. I'm having so much trouble finding free time for Flickr, Facebook, GabesMom, GregsWife... By the time I get to the computer at night, I usually only have time to work on my 365 picture for Flickr... I'm lucky if I always get that done!

Being a mom of a toddler has definitely been a lot of fun - all of the new things he's doing. Actually having a conversation with your kid - how awesome is that? For so long they can't talk and then it's like all of a sudden, they're speaking in sentences! I love being able to talk to him and hear the things he's thinking about. When he was a baby, I was constantly wondering what he was thinking. Now, he tells me! :) Another thing I like about this age is seeing him with other kids. It's especially cute when he's with older kids... He tries to act like them, to laugh like them - it's so cute seeing him try to be just like his older friends.

I have a few "just Gabe" things to share... The poor kid can't say "Smith". When he tries to say "Grandma Smith", it comes out as "Abba Piss". It's so funny!

Also, he is obsessed with directions now. If we don't turn the way he thinks we're supposed to turn, look out! Tantrum time! We hear, "No Mommy! Diff way!! (This Way) or No Mommy, Daff way!! (That way)". He knows the way to his grandparents' houses. If you try to take a different route, you're going to hear it all the way there!

Also, he can potty train all day at daycare, all day at "Abba Piss's" house, and the minute we get him home, he pees his pants. Then, he'll come get us and say, "Gabe did diss". One time, he peed on a book that was on the floor. Boys!

I promise to be a better blogger from now on... You believe me, right?

If you're a friend of Gabe's Dad... you're a friend of Gabe's.

This is Gabe with Greg's friend Nolan (aka Buddha). Everytime Gabe see's Nolan, he yells, "Buddha!!!". It is SO cute. Gabe LOVES Greg's friends. He feels like big stuff when he's around them. He's even more fearless and daring. I love watching him with Greg and his friends. What a blessing that they all love him so much too. I am so looking forward to watching him grow up in their shadows... well, it'll be interesting! :)

And, we have an artist!

Gabe LOVES coloring with markers. Love, love, loves it! I have really enjoyed watching him concentrate and really think about what he's making. He loves to say, "Mommy, Draw!" It's too too cute.

There's not really a whole lot going on right now, so I don't want to bore you all with a long post. Other than drawing, things have been pretty steady. Still working on potty training... Gabe doesn't really like to do it at home... he does great at daycare, but at home he thinks he needs a diaper. Still can't shake the nighttime baba. I think we're seriously going to just have to do something drastic. Ugh.

I hate to take it away from him. He loves his baba. He seems to be ahead of schedule on everything else, but this is one thing he wants to hold on to for comfort. I feel like a big giant meanie-head if I take it away. He cries huge tears, and dang it... I just can't take it away yet.

Random Thoughts on Being Two - to catch everyone up!

• Temper tantrums are becoming more frequent... and lasting longer...
• Bedtime is becoming a little more difficult - Gabe watches a movie in his room, but decides that would be the best time for a #2 diaper.
• We still can't shake that baba... even though it is mostly filled with water, he still wants it, scratch that - needs it.
• Hugs and kisses are becoming more frequent. Especially in the last week. He's been very affectionate! It's been so nice.
• He's started saying new things: "No Way!" when he doesn't want to do something. "Um, cuz..." when you ask him a question. "Why?" when he doesn't like the answer to a question (I thought this was supposed to happen later??)
• His pretend play is SO much fun to watch. I love watching him when he doesn't know I'm watching. It is so neat to watch him play with his toys and to actually hear him say what he is thinking.
• Potty training is going great - especially at daycare. He went 3 days in a row with no accidents AND waking up from his naps dry. At home on the other hand, he doesn't want to use the potty. We haven't been pushing it... we've heard when he's ready, he's ready.
• Gabe's appetite is pretty narrow. Lately, all he wants is hotdogs and "putchet" (ketchup). He loves Special K cereal too.
• He's recently taken an interest in drawing with markers and crayons.
• He knows the shapes hearts, circles, triangles and sometimes squares.
• Sometimes if he's in a bad mood, he tells me to "go away" and sticks his foot out and kicks. This was really, REALLY hard for me the first few times he did it. I found that if I let him see a hurt reaction, he knows he's found a weak spot. So, I just stand my ground and tease him and say, "No, you go away!" and then I tickle him and we laugh about it instead.

All in all, terrible 2's haven't been terrible, they've just brought on a whole new set of challenges. Even though it's a tough stage, I still love it. I love hearing my son talk. I love hearing him say "La Yu too, Mommy" when he goes to bed. I love watching him pray, and peek his eyes open every now and then. It was so cute the first time we saw him bow his head and then lift it up to see if everyone else was. Greg and I both asked each other after the prayer, "Did you see that? Were you watching him too?"

Even though this is tough, even though every day brings its challenges, I still find myself tearing up when I stop and think about how much I love this little boy. How when I stop and try and remember a moment without him, I can't. He's changed our lives so much. He's changed our hearts and our thought processes. He's made us a family.

Now that he's much more talkative, we've talked a little bit more about his birth mom. Every night before bed, I ask him:

"Who's tummy did you grow in?"
Gabe says his birthmom's name.
"Where did you grow with Mommy?"
Gabe says, "Mommy's heart."

In preparing for the adoption, we went through a lot of classes. We were taught to teach our children age-appropriate information about their birth parents. So, this is one way I've tried to approach keeping the adoption an open topic of conversation in our house.

One more thing about being two... With the introduction to underpants, Greg thought it would be a good idea to show Gabe how to put them on his head.

2 Part Post - Jinx & Kicking

Jinx & Gabe. They are quite the pair. This is a very rare photo opportunity here. Normally, if Jinxi is laying down on the couch or chair, Gabe is right up in her face either trying to kiss her, tease her with a pretzel or cookie, or trying to get her to kiss him. He loves to antagonize this dog. Most of the time, Jinxi is pretty cool about it and just gets up from her comfy spot on the couch and flops down somewhere else. This morning though, Gabe and Jinxi were actually watching The Lion King together.

I love the look on Jinxi's face here - it's almost like, "If I can't beat him, I might as well join him". Either that or, "Not Lion King... Again...".

Poor dog. I know I've mentioned this before, but she used to be the baby. She used to get all the snuggle time in the world. Now, it just seems like she lays low until 8:00, and as soon as Gabe's in bed, she's up on my lap. I love this ol' dog. She's been a great member of the family.

Tomorrow night, Gabe's birth family is coming over for our Christmas/Gabe's Birthday visit. I'm very excited to see them. Gabe is too! Tonight before bed, we looked at the photo of all of us in his room and pointed everyone out. I didn't even have to remind him of their names... he did a great job. I also asked him who was coming over tomorrow and he gave their names! It was so cute... He said, "No kick M. & J.". He's on this kick lately (pun intended!) of telling us who he's not going to kick. Today, he told me "No kick church". A lot of times, when I'm on the way home from work, I'll call to talk to him and Greg. Here's how the conversation goes:

Gabe: Hi Mommy!
Me: Hi Buddy, how was your day?
Gabe: Baby no kick Will.
Me: No, we don't kick our friends.
Gabe: Baby no kick Patrick.

And on and on... I swear we go through Abbas and Papas, the babysitter, just about everybody he knows. I guess it's good that he knows he shouldn't kick... Sometimes he'll say, "Baby kick Will" or whoever. We just remind him not to kick anybody... and then we do it all over again multiple times a day!

Super Nanny

Ok, so we're having some troubles ... Gabers is not wanting to go to bed at night. Last night, he stayed up until 11:00. Thankfully, I was home today, so he didn't have to get up early, but we can't let that continue to go on... Yeah, we definitely need to put a stop to that!

I do find it really awesome that he wants to stay up with us. I think that's so great that he wants to spend time with Mommy & Daddy. However, once 9:00 hits, I'm ready for some downtime. I think as parents and as a couple you definitely need that time. Time to just chill out, time to talk, or time to watch a tv show that isn't Handy Manny or one of the three Disney/Pixar movies a certain little guy is obsessed with. Any other parents out there, do you agree??

It's not that I'm not 100% devoted to my child... I am. I love spending time with him. However, I think to be a better mom, I need some downtime as well. Time to recharge my batteries.

So, this brings me to the title of the post - Super Nanny. Tonight I watched an episode of Super Nanny that suggested a method of getting your child to go to sleep and stay in their bed. This boy on the show got out of bed nearly 100x before going to sleep! And each time, his mom had to pick him up and put him back in bed. She was allowed to say something the first two times she went in the room, but after that, she just put him back in bed. I've heard from a friend that this works too. So, tonight, that's what we did. Gabe was not happy at all. I went back up to his room every 5 minutes or so and silently placed him back in his bed. This went on for a little over an hour. The entire time he was yelling, "No! Mommy bed!" or "Mommmmmmmy!!!!". He was NOT happy. But, every five minutes, I'd go back up (he'd be standing at the gate to his room crying) and I'd silently put him back into his bed.

This was hard... really hard. Greg couldn't do it. He went up one time and was up there for several minutes. When I went up to see what was going on, Greg was holding Gabe, talking to him, a book was out... Um, HELLO!!! Super Nanny said not to do that once you decided it was bed time! I was crying because I felt like my efforts were shot. I felt like the bad guy.

So, finally after that hour, I went up AGAIN, and this time, Gabe was laying in his bed drinking his bottle. Ahhh.... finally! Now, we just gotta get rid of that baba.... (I'm making Greg do that one!)

I need some advice from you other Mommas out there... Have you had this issue with your kids? If so, how did you handle it? The Super Nanny way? Or, is that too mean? I know it was really, really hard for us. But, the end result was him going to sleep up in his big boy bed, by himself. Will he eventually get the hang of it? I feel like I'm always guessing/hoping that I'm doing the right thing for Gabe. Time outs have been going really well for discipline. I've been trying to get him to eat better. This parenting thing is tough!

But, it really, truly is worth every minute.

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween from our Punkin'! Can you tell his Dad is a computer geek? (and I mean that in the most loving way possible!)

Eh Hem.......

We have a big boy bed!! After many, many (yes, many) nights of struggling in getting this big boy to bed, we broke down and purchased a big boy bed for him. Gabe was not liking his crib at all any more and always wanted to sleep in the spare bedroom ("daddy's bed!" as Gabe would say). Well, Mommy and Daddy sleep upstairs and the spare bedroom is downstairs. So, we'd let him fall asleep there, and then ever so carefully, I'd carry him upstairs to his crib. Most of the time I was successful in keeping him asleep. The nights I wasn't, he slept with me.

So, tonight is the first night in the big boy bed. Greg was gone when I put him to bed, so I took a few photos. When I showed them to Greg, he said, "That looks like a blog post to me!"... he knows me so well. Oh and guess what?! That bedspread is from Pottery Barn! I found it at a garage sale for $22 and it's in fabulous condition. And, it washes up great!

Also, I wanted to share a few "dactur" photos of my big boy. Notice here, he has the "bue dactor"... Ok, so it's really red, but all colors are blue, all numbers are 2's, and all letters are b's. I don't argue with him...

Anywho, this kid loves tractors. Loves them. My mom got him a small set from Big R and he seriously won't even put them down when he eats. He hates putting them up when he has to nap. We literally have to kiss them goodnight and put them up. Each one of them. It's too funny.

See these two little guys? One time, I pretended they were PaPa & Russell (Grandpa Smith and his hired hand Russell) while Gabe and I were playing. Now, he doesn't part with these either. At any given time during the day, he can be seen holding a mini pickup truck, a mini anhydrous tank, and these two guys. He calls them PaPa and Ussell. Can't wait for PaPa to hear that.

Well, better get to bed... Not sure if we're going to have a long night or not!