the many faces of gabe...

prosperity picnic

on saturday, steve's bank held its quarterly meeting at a local farm and invited the families. there were tons of fun things for the kids to do, but i think gabe's favorite thing, by far, was the hay ride that was pulled by a tractor. the cows and chickens came in a close second, though.

sometimes, he takes my breath away

zoo

on saturday, steve and i took the boys to the zoo (thanks grandma and poppy for the one year pass!!) gabe thought it was amazing, and ezra was happy to ride around in the stroller all morning. and while gabe really enjoyed seeing the animals, he favorite part by far was riding on the train. i thought he was going to die of excitement!

fort weather

so glad it is finally warm out again. i have missed going to the fort at night and walking (and letting gabe run free!)

today i love...

:: this children's bible that we got for gabe. we read a chapter each night before bed, and i find myself wanting to read more. i love how every story is linked back to the gospel. it is thought provoking and well written!

:: these pancakes! it is little things like this that make childhood memorable. like, i have really vivid memories of chocolate pancakes and grilled peanut butter and jelly made by my dad. things like that are important, i think.

:: these herb markers. they are amazing!

:: this book by sally clarkson (thanks allison for letting me borrow it!). i have read another of her books and would really love to read her husband's book on discipline as well. i am only a couple of chapters into the mission of motherhood and it is already abundantly clear that i have a lot to learn from this woman. such an inspiring read! i definitely recommend it to all my mama friends! also, while i am on the subject, this post by sally proved helpful recently in thinking about disciplining a toddler.

:: this quilt. i want to have a little girl just so that i can make one for my house.

:: this handful of wild flowers that gabe and i picked in the yard. i think that lovingly handpicked wild flowers might be one of my favorite things ever.

"holda baby, mama"

gabe's new favorite thing to do. can't say i really mind.

at four months

ezra...

:: weighs 15.5 pounds (75th percentile) and is 26 inches long (90th percentile)

:: has the most incredible laugh, but uses it sparingly. only the truly funny ones get a laugh out of this guy.

:: has a contagious smile, and shows it to anyone who will look at him.

:: sleeps 11 hours at night (8ish PM to 7ish AM), with one late night feeding at around 10. this makes me extremely happy!

:: has discovered the excitement of standing and thinks it is hilarious when people help him do it.

:: drools and sucks on his hands constantly (maybe he will sprout teeth at 6 months like his brother did?)

:: has rolled over only once, but gets close to doing it again all the time.

:: is a champion napper when his arms are swaddled (guess it is about time to stop that, though)

:: has very kissable, chubby cheeks and squeezable, rolly legs.

:: has developed (or maybe i just noticed) a birthmark on his leg (which i think runs in steve's family?)

:: appears to still be milk-allergic, although not to the extent that gabe was. hopefully he will outgrow it soon so i can have dairy again!

:: is a peaceful, cheerful, cuddly guy and we love him so much!

"mile mommy"

it is nice to see a little of me in him.

apparently i need a macro lens

here are the pictures i brought to my last photography class:

from our "moon shoot" on the beach. it was really, really hard to get a good shot, and i am not even crazy about this one, but i brought it because we took them all together.

a random weed picture

a gate downtown

another random weed picture

a gravestone bird

i really enjoyed my class. it was so nice to learn something that had nothing to do with diapers or making dinner or disciplining a two-year-old (not that those things don't interest me, because they obviously do).