Chicago

Last weekend we went up with Lon and Sharon to visit our good friends RJ and Joslynn Heath who moved to Chicago a little over a year ago. I have lots of pictures to share--prepare yourself!

It was a looong drive, so any chance we had to stop, we let Gavin out to stretch on our blanket.

"You are actually going to put me BACK in the car?"

On Friday, we were on our own while the Heaths were at work, so we toured a little bit of the city ourselves. Here we are outside Wrigley Field.

While shopping at Ikea, Lon found a hat that would actually fit Gavin!
Gavin learning how to play Ping Pong
Two things to make Gavin look small:
RJ
and a big futon
I'm not sure who started this first...
Joz and Gavin

Saturday the Heaths took us to The Windy City
Millennium Park


The Bean

I love that there are 3 cameras going at once

Gavin LOVED looking at himself!

To celebrate Ghandi's birthday on October 2, people around the city were giving out "Free Hugs" for Random Acts of Kindness.
Of course I had to get one!
(middle of the picture in the background)

It's a bird, it's a plane...
...no, it's Super Gavin!
Riding the Subway

Michigan Avenue: "The Magnificent Mile"
96th Floor of the Hancock Building.

RJ told Sharon and I to go in the bathroom because the toilet water rocks back and forth because of the wind on the skyscraper--it really did!! This is the view from the bathroom!

Chicago style pizza at Giordano's


Hangin' out with my boys from Twilight.

Can't wait for New Moon in less than a month!
Lego World



This "statue" was real!
These guys were a highlight of my trip. This is a long video, I just wanted to share how incredible they are!



Gavin's summary of the trip:
The minivan was AWESOME for such a long trip. At one point, I was driving and listening to an audio book, Sharon was in the passenger seat working on her laptop on school stuff, Ryan and Lon were playing video games, and Gavin was watching a movie on Lon's laptop. Endless possibilities! Here's one of my favorite pictures Sharon took in the van:
This is what this guy did in the van for most of the time:

Thanks for a great weekend RJ & Joz! We love you guys!

Camping

Mom and Dad took us camping a few weeks ago in their Pop-Up camper. Ryan and I have only ever tent camped until Gavin was born, and he can't fit in our 2-man tent! So now we camp in luxury!

The Master Chef

Gavin loves his Pop!

My cousin Kate made this precious hat with ears for Gavin before he was born. It is the only hat to fit his big ol' head now! :)

Hiking around the campground

Gavin's 2nd try in the Bike Carrier. He liked it just as much as he did on the Virginia Creeper! And now he's actually big enough to ride in it like he's supposed to.

If only there were a basket big enough to fit Dakota...

Instead, Ryan pulled Gavin in the carrier and had Dakota on the leash. It was quite the sight.

Thanks for letting us tag along, Nani and Pop!

Soccer Mom

Before I show you our newest car purchase, I'd like to walk down memory lane and check out the car Ryan drove when he was 16. Here we are before prom in his 1976 baby blue Lincoln Continental...

This has been my car since college (which we are selling--anybody need a great little car?)...
And this is what we are driving as of a few weeks ago...
Yes, I am officially a Soccer Mom in my 2005 Honda Odyssey!

Ryan didn't feel that Gavin and I were safe in my tiny car, and it has NO ROOM for Gavin or his stuff. And if we ever went on a trip, we could either take Gavin or Dakota--not both. Same problem for Ryan's Accord. So rather than doing the SUV for a couple of years until more kids, we just went straight to the mini van! I feel as though it has added 15 years to my age. I am now 42 instead of 27! And now I don't know if I'll ever be able to live without it!

Zoo

Our friends Elizabeth and Braden took us to the Knoxville Zoo last week. I know I had more fun than Gavin. :) He'll enjoy it more one day when he's a little bigger!
This was definitely my favorite part: the Gibbons!

This little gal gave me a high five with her hand when I put my hand up to the glass! I wish I had gotten a picture of it.
Here's a video to show you how crazy this thing is:


The little monkeys looking at the monkeys! If you look close, there's a humongous gorilla looking at these 2 behind the glass.
"Ok, Moms, we've had enough fun for the day!"

I don't have a picture of Gavin looking at them, but he LOVED the Meerkats. Like jumping up and down in the stroller when he saw them.
Not sure if you can see George, the baby chimpanzee, in this picture. He's only a year old! He interacted with his Mom and Dad just like a real kid. It was crazy and so cute.
Thanks for bringing us along, guys! We had a blast!

7 Months

Gavin definitely had a lot of firsts this month!

First time to use a high chair in a restaurant. We've been going out to eat a lot more now because this little guy does awesome--as long as he has his food! :)
First time to sit in the shopping cart with me. Man, it makes my life so much easier! This is after an hour at the grocery store. He was DONE.

This little guy still does not like to crawl! He still scoots backwards everywhere he goes--and usually ends up stuck under the couch.

He has started sitting up on his own!

(He LOVES the telephone and remote by the way.)

Ryan had the great idea to practice him sitting up on our bed because he falls back so easily. So he starts out like this...
...and ends up like this:
Dakota and Gavin are inseparable--so much so that I have to find things to distract Dakota from licking Gavin for hours on end. So one day I discovered this...
Dakota is our crazy flashlight chasing dog! She thinks Gavin is going to pick it up and turn it on for her. So, Dakota is close to Gavin so he can look at her and pet her, and Dakota doesn't lick him! Problem solved. :)
Enjoying this beautiful weather with our "new" swing outside (gotta love hand-me-downs!).
He has started putting his feet together or crossing them all the time. So cute.
Enjoying a visit with his Great Grandmothers Buddie and G.G.
I had to take him to the doctor yesterday because the poor little guy was sick again.
He weighs 21 lbs. 7 oz.!