Big Dogs!

The Budweiser Clydesdales are in Monroe City for our Sesquicentennial Celebration. We all walked up to see them last night. There were only four there because they had six of them in Palmyra for a parade. They arrived just as we were getting ready to leave. It was neat to see them getting out of their trailers. It is a very nice set-up! Gavin just smiles at them and calls them "dog". He and I walked back up this morning to see them and they let Gavin pet "Elite" as they were taking him for a bath. He also got to pet their dalmatian that rides with them in the wagon. We are going to try to make it back tomorrow morning to see them exercise before they are shipped off to Hannibal for another parade.

Here are their make-shift stables.

As Clint said, these horses are kept very comfortable! Only four horses per "trailer"!

Happy Nine Month Birthday, Gavin!!

On May 29, 2007 our little Gavin turned nine months old! He is getting sooo big! He now weighs 191/2 lbs and is 281/2 in. long. They said he was 281/2 in long three months ago so somebody has miscalculated. Still, this is in the 90th percentile for lenghth! He's average for his weight and head size. I can finally say he is crawling! He is currently going at turtle speed because he has just started staying on his hands and knees. As I've said many times, he would much rather walk. He is getting really good at using his walking toy all by himself. He can stand for short periods of time without assistance. He has excellent fine motors skills and can fit balls into circular openings. Gavin loves to clap and occassionally wave bye-bye. He says "ma ma", "da da", and "uh-oh." We also think he is saying "dog." What an exciting time!

Gavin loves cuddling with his froggy blanket!

"Yay, Gavin!"

Getting into everything!

Bear crawling because we don't want to crawl!

Now That's What I Call A Fish!

Our neighbor took Clint out on the lake this morning to check lines they'd set last night. This catfish was the only thing on the line, but I'd say it's worth about 50 croppy!

Lil' Ram

Hi Papa! These are for you!

Camo Cool!

Here I am looking pretty cool in my summer camo! What an adorable outfit!

What do you think, Mom, flaps down...

...or up?

I tried to capture Gavin's dirty feet from playing barefoot outside! He ended up getting the seat cushions dirty!

Outdoor Adventures

Gavin had fun playing outside with Mommy and Daddy last night after the sun went down and it cooled off. We borrowed a walking toy from Waylon to see how Gavin would do with it. He really has fun pushing it. We still have to hold on to one hand unless we use the Walking Wings. We also bought a swing to put in our tree since we do not have a swing set yet. Since the branch isn't level, it swings a little crooked. Gavin doesn't seem to mind, though!

A little rough on Daddy's back! It works better with the wings!

No, I wasn't swinging Gavin in the dark! It's about 8:00 pm and still light outside!

Reaching for leaves...one of my favorite things to do!!

Little Red Wagon

Well, the "little red wagon" has come a long ways since mommy rode in one when she was little. My great-grandpa would spend hours and hours pulling me in my wagon. I think he would have had to go on longer if I would have had a more comfy one like this. I think Gavin will have to put this on his wish list for his birthday or Christmas.

Big, Big Truck

Here is Gavin's first "big, big truck" (this is Gavin's friend, Waylon's, saying) that mommy also found at a garage sale. The back is filled with legos that in time will provide hours of fun.

Ma ma!

Gavin is FINALLY saying ma ma! After hearing da da for about two months now, it is music to my ears!

Fishing Frenzy!!

The fish definitely had no problems biting this go around! Almost every cast led to a fish on the line! They are still very small but fun to catch.

Here is Gabe after his FIRST cast!

Second cast!

Yep, third cast!

Gavin was more intrigued with the colorful bobber than the fish!

Even mommy got in on the fun!

Wild Goose Chase

Gavin and Daddy went on a wild goose chase at Mima and Papa's last weekend. They have two geese nesting on their pond. They like to graze in the field across the road.

Big Boy Seat

Gavin has been riding in a "big boy seat" for a couple of weeks now. He really likes being able to look out the windows and to watch the world passing by. It seems to be much more comfortable than his infant seat. It's a little harder for mommy to see around but definitely worth it! (For those of you who are big car seat inspectors, I just strapped Gavin in to take the picture. I realize the harness clip is not at armpit level and the straps are loose.)

My First Mother's Day

Photo courtesy of Papa. Daddy and Papa are starting to show the girls up on their picture-taking abilities!

Mommy got a pair of Reef sandals for Mother's Day. They're so comfy and will be great for my pregnant feet this summer!

My Fifth Month

Here I am at 21 weeks. I thought I would re-post my picture from four months right beside it so you could see just how much I have grown over the last four weeks. You will notice my belly button has already popped out!