Uncle Ben II

Here is a much updated picture of Ben with Gavin.
Sorry I've not added anything to this site for a while. Life's been busy. I'm also about to head out of town for a few days, but I'll catch up again when I get home. Pray for Chris--he'll be all alone with Roth and Dera for four whole days! Come to think of it, pray for Roth and Dera!

Uncle Dean

My Auntie and Uncle set up a little Christmas village in their house each year--actually pretty much everyone in my family does that. Anyway, Uncle decided to show it to Gavin who really seemed to enjoy all of the lights. Christmas is going to be a blast with him this year. I can't wait.

The Moms

Chris very affectionately calls Linda and Leata "the moms". If ever I can't get a hold of my mom for some practical advice, I know that I can call Leata (my Auntie). Now, I suppose we could start calling them the Grandmas! My kids still call my aunt Auntie, because that's the special title she's earned in our lives, but she really is so much more than an aunt to all of us.
P.S. My mom is the one holding Gavin!

Friends

My life-long best friend, McKenya, and her husband, Tom, recently returned from a long adventure through Europe and were able to stop by the festivities on Thanksgiving night. It was great to see them--I know that Gavin really enjoyed their visit.

Dedication

Tonight, my dad dedicated all three of our boys at his church. It was a really special event and I'm so glad that my dad was able to this for us. Chris' mom was also able to join us, as were many of my extended family members. It was another great night for so many reasons.

Gavin and Gramps

This picture was taken Thanksgiving day. My dad didn't want to share Gavin with anyone, but we did eventually make him. Once in a while he got to hold him--this is my favorite picture of the two of them. I think my dad likes being a Grandpa even more than he likes being a dad. He's great at both!

Thanksgiving Dinner

Here are two pictures of our Thanksgiving dinner at my Auntie & Uncle's house. There were 17 of us crowded around one dining room table (with a little extension for Sarah and the kids). We were just about eating on top of one another, but it was a great time. Brad and Georgie were able to join us, along with their good friend Janice and lots of Georgie's family--all from Ireland. Georgie's mom (Molly), 2 of Georgie's sisters (Sarah and Rachel), and 2 of her nephews (Luke and Evan--Rachel's boys) were there. My parents and brother, Ben, were there, as well. Unfortunately, we didn't all fit into one picture, but you get the idea. Gavin was a great hit, but slept through dinner. All in all, it was a wonderful, family and food filled day. I hope yours was just as wonderful.

Johnny Jump Up

We tried! I guess we'll have to try it out again in another month or so. I know he'll love the Johnny Jump Up once he can actually use it, but that time obviously has not yet come. Sofie sure was intrigued by it though.

Such a Sweetie

Here's a picture of Gavin sound asleep the other day. He looks so peaceful and sweet. We just love him, especially when he sleeps! Actually, we are really enjoying his awake time right now, too. It's fun playing with him now that he's getting into that.

Proud Big Brother

Yesterday, Dera got to choose Gavin's outfit. He picked this one (thanks Kristin!) and was so proud of himself for picking it out. He wanted to hold Gavin all day and Gavin didn't mind at all.

Big Boy

Here is Gavin in a pair of big boy pajamas that we bought for him before we knew what we were doing! His tummy is always bare in the morning when he wears these, but he does look like such a big boy when he wears them. Gavin had a very big day on Friday. He rolled over for the first time (tummy onto back), played with his first toy--and I mean actually played with it, and he giggled for the first time without being tickled. Yesterday, he learned to make the raspberry sound with his mouth. Unfortunately, he found it really funny to do that while eating and even more unfortunate was the fact that I laughed each time he did it, causing him to just keep it up. Oh well, I can teach him manners later!

All Dressed Up

My mom bought this outfit for Gavin. He looks so grown up--except for the whole high chair and pacifier thing. God bless the person who invented pacifiers, by the way! Of course, there's only one type that Gavin will keep in his mouth (thanks a lot Katie!) and they only sell them at Target, which we don't have. We're stocked up now though. There's no panic like the moments you spend searching for that magical paci. What sweet relief it brings once found.

Just Reading the Paper

Chris was holding Gavin the other day while looking through our local paper and Gavin seemed so interested in it. I just had to have this picture and thought it was worth sharing. Sherry, I know that you, especially, will love this one!

Uncle Ben

It is my brother's 22nd birthday today. I thought I'd put him in the spotlight. This picture is actually a couple of months old, but it's the most recent one of Ben that I have. Happy Birthday, Ben!

First Snow

Winter has arrived

Well, winter weather found us last night. We went to bed with a little dusting of snow on the ground and woke up to about an inch of snow with a lot of ice under it. Chris was up early scraping his car and salting the sidewalks. The boys were just thrilled at the sight of snow and couldn't wait to put on all of their winter gear. I'll just be staying inside today with Gavin!

Gavin and Me

Here I am!

I have gotten a couple of different emails asking where my picture is. If you know me well, you know that being in pictures is not my favorite thing and since I'm putting this site together, I guess I just conveniently left myself out! Well, for those of you who've asked, here's a picture of Gavin and me--which Roth took last night. We are all dressed for winter because it was really cold out. I know that my footwear isn't exactly winterized, but there's no snow on the ground yet...so the flip-flops are still out. From what I hear, I'll have to put them away tonight though.

School Pictures

Sharing school pictures

When I ordered Roth's (age 11--5th grade) and Dera's (age 7--1st grade) school pictures, I never even gave thought to how many people would want them. Needless to say, I ordered very few and the requests for them have already surpassed my supply. Since I have so few of each of them to share I wanted to post them here so that you could all at least see them. I should give Chris some praise here too...I was gone on school picture morning, so he had to get Roth and Dera ready. I think they look great. I did take Gavin in to get his pictures taken at about the same time (he's 4 months in this picture), so that I'd have one of all three boys. I just forgot about how many friends and family we truly do have. Sorry guys!

Three of My Brothers

My brothers

For anyone who's been curious about my biological family, here's a really cute picture I just received of my three youngest brothers. On the left is Adin, just born in October (yes, he's actually younger than his nephew, Gavin). In the middle is Matthew, he's 3 1/2. On the right is Jaaron, he's about a week away from turning 2. Of course, I have several other siblings, as well, but no recent pictures of them. I will make sure to get one next time I see them and post it.

A True Wisconsinite

The camo pants

I know that it seems like a huge cliche to have this little boy dressed in Camo already, but these pants weren't purchased in WI. They weren't even purchased in the US. They were sent to me by my cousin and his wife, who live in Ireland. Gavin just looked so stinkin' cute in them, that I couldn't pass them up just to avoid the cliche. So, here lies Gavin (napping), in full hunting apparel, looking as cute as ever.

Great-Grandma and Gavin

Great grandma

This is my grandma and I do think she's great! She also happens to be Gavin's great-grandma. She came to visit recently and I was able to get this picture of her, which I'm pretty sure she didn't even want me to take, let alone publish on our site. But, oh well! I think she looks just wonderful.

Trick-or-Treat

Halloween

I know that most of you have seen this picture already, but this is for those of you who missed it...
We had a great Halloween. Dera was a fire fighter, Roth was a Tae Kwon Do guy, and Gavin was a little cheetah. They were all adorable and brought home a boat load of candy for Chris and I, I mean for themselves! Well, maybe we've all been sharing.

Two Handsome Boys

Gavin and his daddy

Chris left early this morning for a three-day trip to visit a possible customer in Canada. So, I thought it was only fitting to post a picture of Gavin with his daddy. You can see here that Gavin did get one thing from his dad--that receding hairline. Chris is going to hate that I wrote that, but I still think that they're both very handsome. Plus, Chris is in Canada, so I can write what I want right now.

Crazy Hair Day

Our boys with mohawks!

Roth and Dera had been asking for mohawks for a while. At first, I just said, "No", but then, they had crazy hair day at school for Dare to be Drug Free week. Eventually I decided that they're only kids once, we were in between pictures (school and Christmas), and they did need haircuts--which we hate to pay for. So, the night before crazy hair day I got out the clippers and shaved their heads leaving only a patch of hair on top. What you're seeing in the picture is the result of that haircut and some gel. They loved it! Unfortunately, I forgot to tell them that the mohawks were getting cut off right away and now they're protesting. We'll just see whether or not they bring them to Thanksgiving. I do know that they'll be off before we take a family Christmas picture for sure.

Our Little Kicker

Soccer Boy

We're already planning Gavin's soccer career (as you can see by the picture). I figure, if he can kick his way out of my womb seven weeks early, he ought to be a great soccer player. He's still constantly kicking--which is much more fun now that he's out of my stomach!

Pumpkin Heads--October, 2005

Creating a website

Welcome to our family's page. We've had so many requests for pictures, especially since we had Gavin, that I had to come up with a more efficient way of sharing them. We refuse to pay for high-speed internet, so sending the pictures takes at least an hour. I'm hoping this will be an easier format for us to be able to share part of our lives with you. With so many friends and family members all over the world (literally), we don't want to leave anyone out! So, welcome, and visit as often as you'd like. I will post as I can and keep the site updated.