The Yardstick Gang

Gabe and I hosted some of our friends for a play date. We live in between a few of our friends, so it seemed like the perfect place to meet. The four boys had a ball just running around the house and exploring all the many rooms with toys, while the moms chatted away.

When I told Dave about the fun day we had and how the boys were running around and (slightly) terrorizing our cat he gave them a nickname. So without further ado, here is The Yardstick Gang (as in under 36inches)...


And their wake...

The 'gang' and their moms are welcome anytime, and hopefully over the summer we can add some more!

Wordless Wednesday

Shaken not Stirred

Gabe has taken a liking to our martini shaker...how very 'Mad Men' of him. Only he loves to take it apart, put it back together, and put things (like legos) in it to shake (which is the most use this thing has gotten in years). If we taught him to make drinks that would be a little too 'Mad Men' of us.

Could I interest you in a cold drink?

Ok, let me just get my shaker...

First I'm going to take the top off...

Let's just see what's inside before we start...

Trust me...this IS how it's done...

I gently put the top back on...

Now shake it like crazy...

And voila! Here you are...

Wordless 'bed head' Wednesday

15 Months!

For his 15 month marker, I thought I would list 10 things I love about my son.

1. I love that he will sometimes spontaneously start laughing so hard and his whole body will tense and shake. This usually occurs when he's with fun people, during a good meal, or dancing. It's like he's so excited to be in this moment, that he can't control himself.

2.I love that when I ask him to say "I love you," his face softens and he gives me a kiss.

3. I love that he tries to imitate everything we do...like trying to snap his fingers.

4. I love that he tries to repeat a lot of the things we say and I can tell what he's trying to say. To most it's just 'bah,' but I can tell the subtle difference between the 'bahs.'

5. I love to hear him babble and watch him play in his crib.

6. I love his laugh and smile...they are both totally infectious.

7. I love that his favorite show is TPIR (though he still not very interested in TV). He likes to clap along, dance to the music, see the bright colors, and that his favorite thing comes up often...a car.

8. I love that he has a few new dance moves and his new favorite 'jam' is "Kids" by MGMT.

9. I love that when I say "adios" he starts to wave good-bye.

10. I love that he is such a B-O-Y...but is also oh so sweet.

Fun Weekend

This weekend was filled with fun parties. Saturday, we headed to a festive Korean New Year party. My friend Kris was the co-hostess and she did a wonderful job! The food was perfect, the venue was great, we even got cute gift bags. But of course, it's always fun to hang with our friends...big and small.

Since it's the year of the Tiger, Gabe wore his tiger t-shirt:


Most of the kids brought their hanboks for a group picture. Here is just some of the kids in the traditional New Year dress:

Finally, a shot of the three of us:

Sunday we went to a Super Bowl party at Dave's aunt and uncle's house. The food is always top-notch and Gabe loves to hang with all his peeps. I even got a small award for my recent crime-stopping.

Gabe playing with Grammie:

Serious boys:

Tackle time:

Toddlin' around:

Wordless Wednesday

All In a Day's Nap

What do you do during your child's nap time? Do you catch criminals, like me?

Here's the (brief) summary:
During Gabe's nap today, I heard and saw my neighbor's car getting broken into and called 911. The cops caught the criminals based on the description I gave. I then had to identify them to be sure it was the right guys, while another neighbor sat and watched Gabe's monitor. The good news is that my neighbor got her GPS back and looks like these repeat offenders will be going to jail. Not sure if I'll have to testify or not...but this crime stopper (aka McGruff) plans on keeping her streets safe!

This all happened and I made it back before he woke up...all in a day's nap.

Keeping it Going

After the great weekend with my fellow blog-moms, I was really hoping that this could be the start of some great friendships. So, yesterday Gabe and I hopped in the car early and drove out to see our friends Kris and X. It was so fun and easy to sip coffee and chat while the two handsome little boys played with Mardi Gras beads and ran around the house.

Busy boys...


Then we all bundled up and headed to lunch. After sitting in the high chairs for a bit, the boys need to run off some energy in their cute, matching coats.


Thanks for the hospitality, K & X! The time went by way too fast....

Wonder Walls

I realize that taking pictures OF pictures is probably something I would only do if I had a blog. And, well since I do...I thought I would share the pictures we ordered from our photographer, but show them hung up. I was afraid we went overboard, but our designer friend said "it's your kid...you should have lots of pictures of him up."

Above his toy chest:

In our living room:



Going up the stairs:



We also hung in his closet a very cute baseball bat coat hook:

But here is my favorite recent wall hanging. If you remember, my friend Sue's adorable son chose my name in her Hanbok holder give away.



I'm so thrilled that Gabe's beautiful, special Hanbok is finally on display in his room. Every time I look at it, I just smile.