4 Months and Big News!!!

I guess with a 1-year-old, I can't expect this boy to cooperate for every picture. :)

Here's the funny part--the 4 is from me cutting out coupons earlier that day and I did not intend to make it into the #4, it was just the coupons I needed. Pretty fitting for a coupon freak like myself to use it for the picture!

Wednesday was the big day--finding out if Gavin is going to have a little brother or sister!!!
We had quite the crew with us for the ultrasound (minus Ryan's dad--he just stopped in for lunch on his way through town). My Mom, Ryan's Mom and sister, Ryan, the Gavster, and of course me and the baby!

It's kind of a tradition now (2 years running) to eat at Apple Cake Tea Room before we all head over to the ultrasound.

Anxiously awaiting for this little baby to cooperate to tell us boy or girl!!
(You can see the ultrasound screen top left that everybody was watching.)

My friend Jeanette reminded me of my Senior Prophecy in our high school yearbook when I saw her the other day. Here's what I wrote in 2000:
"If it is God's will, I will hopefully be married to Ryan Hughes with a little boy and girl--hopefully taller than me! I hope to be a school teacher and very devoted to my Heavenly Father, family, and friends."

Haha, well 10 years later, I can say all of that prophecy is true!
It's a GIRL!!!!

She had her little hands up by her face almost the whole time like her brother likes to do when he sleeps.

Aunt Amanda came prepared with a little pink dress--she sure wanted a girl!

Our #1 prayer for this little girl is that she would be healthy. We would covet your prayers for the remainder of this pregnancy for God to continue to knit her perfectly in my womb.

And as a side note, I have always wanted a little redheaded girl!! My babycenter.com email I got this week said her hair is starting to sprout! I asked the ultrasound tech if she could tell if she had red hair already--haha. So we're also praying for a little redhead! :)

Virginia Creeper

10 of us (4 couples and 2 kiddos) went bike riding on the Virginia Creeper this weekend. We rented out a Bed & Breakfast in Damascus, VA.

Relaxing on the front porch:

Pancake breakfast Saturday morning:

It was really fun to eat with all of our friends and not strangers at a B&B!

Van ride up to White Top to start the 17 mile downhill bike ride:

When we got up to the top, we realized we somehow left the connector piece for Gavin's carrier at home. Not. fun. So luckily the driver was able to run to the Visitor's Center to contact the next van coming up and they put another carrier on the trailer for us that we could rent. Our poor friends had to wait on us for 45 minutes. So sorry guys! :(

Starting the trail last year with 7-week-old Gavin...

...and this year with crazy 14-month-old Gavin already trying to jump out of the carrier:

The gang:

Really cool beaver dam on the side of the trail:

We stopped at the same waterfall we took a picture at last year...
...this year (it's so much more beautiful and green in May than early April!):

The stages of Gavin during the bike ride: awake and happy (he kept humming because it was so bumpy that it made his voice sound funny)...
...asleep...
...and awake and not so happy after lunch (no picture of that thank goodness).

We stopped and ate lunch right off the trail at Creepr Trail Cafe. It was so fun! Our van driver said this was the only bike trail you can actually gain weight on because it's all downhill and there are places to eat along the way! Ha!
(If you make the picture bigger you can see all the bikes to the left of the picnic tables.)

We could not have asked for a more beautiful day!
Liz has more pictures over on her blog.

Zoo

Gavin and I got to go to the zoo last Thursday with Kim and her niece and nephews. We had never been in the kid area before. Gavin loved it!
(And p.s.--notice he's wearing shoes! Woohoo!)

And of course wanted to put everything in his mouth. I did find out that they wash everything every night!

Shoveling horse poop in the barn. Hilarious!

I was in charge of bringing a snack, so I got all of us a box of the yummiest Animal Crackers! I haven't had these since I was a kid. The kids were pulling out the animals and talking about the ones we'd already seen. So cute.

And I brought zoo books to read while we snacked. Kim and I are such teachers!!

We went to the bird show to finish up snack.

And Jake got called up as a volunteer!

With 4 kiddos to watch, there's just no time to take pictures! So we spent all day at the zoo, and do I have 1 picture of an animal? No! Well, Gavin, I guess we'll have to go back! :)
Gavin fell asleep before we got to the end with the Carousel (which we did ride, but he was fast asleep the whole time) and the petting zoo and play area. Looks like we'll have to start at the petting zoo next time!
Thanks for inviting us, Kim! It was so fun!

Swimming

A few weeks ago, Gavin and some of his buddies went to The Cove park to play and discovered we could swim. Libby and Gavin wanted to go back for more last week!
Picnic before we swim.

He was so fascinated with all the driftwood.

And loved loved loved the sand.

At bath time, he's started bending over and drinking the water. I guess he felt like he was taking a bath in the dirty lake water...

And he would dig down and get sand and put it all over his hair.

He loved swimming!

I stole these pictures from Shannon.
Following the leader...

Gavin showing Libby it's a lot more fun if you just get messy.

Drinking some more of the very clean water.
And he looks so deep here because he is! He kept going out far and I'd have to bring him back to shore and he'd crawl back out. I have a little swimming daredevil on my hands!

His favorite part about swimming: splashing!
We can't wait to go to the ocean sometime this summer! I mean, if he has this much fun with just a little bit of sand and lake water, he won't know what to do with the ocean!

Sleepover

Last Thursday, Gavin's best buddy Braden became a big brother! So Braden got to come spend the night with us while his Mom, Dad, and baby sister Kate were in the hospital. Braden was so good and was so sweet to Gavin. He would give him a hug if he started crying and say, "It's ok, buddy." The boys' faces were precious when they woke up and realized they were still together. Here's some pictures of the best buddies. I wish I could have gotten more, but we were having too much fun to stop and take pictures!

Bath time!

Gavin kept drinking the bath water (one of his new favorite things--I mean why do they make cups for the bath if it's not to drink out of them!?) so Braden decided the boys needed their sippy cups in the tub.

These two have matching pajamas and are so cute in them together!


Gavin peed on his during the night so I had to change him right when he got up. So sad.
Ready to race!

Sesame Street and snack time. What a great life these boys have.

I love how they're sitting exactly the same eating out of the same cup!
And Braden's face is HILARIOUS here. I wonder what he's thinking...

Elizabeth has pictures of Braden's sister Kate over on her blog. She's precious and Gavin's so glad to have a new friend!