Gavin's First Time Eating Cereal

Our little boy is growing up.  He tried Rice cereal for the first time.  He loved it.

Gavin hanging out in his high chair.

I guess Cody remembers what happens when the high chair comes out.

Yummy!  I love how Kaitlyn has her mouth open while I am doing this... The funny thing is that my mouth is probably open as well.

Kaitlyn's turn to feed Gavin!

All done! Now it's time for some water.

Kaitlyn's 4th Birthday

I really can't believe that my little girl is 4 years old.  She is quite the young lady.  She refuses to wear pants on most days.  Her main choice of clothing is a dress and on occasion we can convince her to wear a skirt and a shirt. 

As I look back on the past year... Kaitlyn has really grown up.  She attended her first year of Preschool at Zion Lutheran in Mayer.  She loves going to school, but can be kind of shy in a large group.  Once she becomes comfortable you won't be able to get her to stop talking. 

Kaitlyn's Stats:
Height - 41 1/4" - 75%
Weight - 35 lbs - 50%

On her birthday - I decided to take a half day off of work to spend the day with Kaitlyn.  I met my mom and we went to get her haircut at my sister's friends house.

After we got Kaitlyn's hair cut, Aunty Anny, Kaitlyn, and mommy went to get Pedicures.  We had a great girl day of pampering.

Here is Kaitlyn on the quilt my Aunt Sandy made for her.  It has a cute picture of Mommy, Daddy, and Kaitlyn sewn into it.

Gavin 6 Months

Our little boy is growing so fast.  I can't believe it has already been 6 months.  He is really starting to interact with the world around him.  He still is not a big fan of being just with his daddy, but they are learning to manage. 

Here are his stats:
Height - 26" - 50%
Weight - 17 lbs 14oz - 50%
Head - 17 3/4" - 75%

Gavin is wearing 9 months clothes.  I am not used to having a child on the other side of the growth chart.  It is taking me some time to get used to.  He has rolled over once from his tummy to his back.  He loves to hold onto blankets. 

He loves to giggle and watch his sister play.  He has to know what is going on and be part of the action.  He still is a mommy's boy.  When daddy watches him they spend most of the time walking around the house together trying to calm each other down.

Our little boy sure does like to make things dramatic.  When he cries you will tip is head back and scream.  His face turns red and usually won't stop until he get's what he wants.  Most likely a bottle.  He only nurses in the morning when he is half sleeping, otherwise he doesn't have patience and would rather have a bottle.  (The pump and I are great friends.) 

He started not sleeping through the night.  He loved to wake up and eat around 2 or 3am and again around 5 or 6am.  Mommy sure missed his previous sleeping and eating schedule of 9pm - 5am.  I think he was just in his 6 month growth spurt.

Gavin - 5 Months Old

Gavin is 5 months old and loves attention.  He still loves to be held or carried around and doesn't like to be left in a room by himself for very long.  He loves being in the front pack facing out so he can see everything.  Mommy loves the front pack so she can still get things done around the house.  We introduced him to the exersaucer a few weeks ago and he loves being able to look around and sit up. 

When he gets upset he throws his head back and cries.  Usually with no warning signs.  This usually means he is hungry or not happy with the person talking to him.  He sure can be a little drama king.  He must be getting some of this from his big sister.

Kaitlyn loves holding her little brother.

He has started to hold his bottle by himself.  We usually have to help him get his hands in place, but he loves when he can do it himself.

He has really started to interact with his toys with his hands and feet.  He loves blanket's.  When he is getting upset, I will give one for him to grab and that helps him calm down. 



He still likes to be swaddled at night.

Gavin 5 months old!  The quilt that Gavin is laying on was made by my Aunt Sandy.

Our Happy Boy!

Siblings!

I love having a baby who is a little on the chunky side.  I think we say that Gavin is chunky a little too often because Kaitlyn introduces Gavin like this.

* This my brother Gavin.  Isn't he chunky?  (As she is squeezing his fat rolls.)

Vacation

We spent a week at Cozy Bay Resort on Lake Edward near Nisswa a few weeks ago.  It was so nice to have a week to relax.  The weather started out HOT and Humid, but cooled down in the middle of the week.  We had 3 cabins and one campsite with approxiametly 30 friends and family there through out the week. 

Kaitlyn spent a lot of time in the water with her cousins.  We had purchased a new tub to pull behind our boat.  The kids loved it.

 Cozy Bay Resort.  We take over the whole front of the resort. 

Kaitlyn getting ready to go tubing.

Mommy, Kaitlyn, and Angie tubing on our new 4 person tube.

Grandpa and Grandma with all the THINGS.

Gavin and Grandpa Tim

Daddy and Gavin

Mommy and her kids.  As you can tell they weren't very excited about taking pictures.

Trolley Ride with Lily

Kaitlyn and mommy met up with our good friend Lindsey and her daughter Lily in Excelsior.  Kaitlyn was so excited because we were suppose to go on this trolley ride the week before, but because of the weather it was postponed to today.  We rode the trolley and heard Nancy Carlson read her story books.  It was fun to have an evening of mommy and daughter time.

Kaitlyn excited for the Trolley ride.

Kaitlyn on the Trolley!

Lily and Kaitlyn showing us their signed books.  It was hard to get both girls to cooperate in the picture.

Kaitlyn and Mommy with the conductor.

Kaitlyn and Mommy!

Kaitlyn's new favorite book is "I Like Me".  Every morning... we now have to say.  "Hi, Good Lookin!" since that is what they say in the book.

First Boat Ride

Father's Day was our first boat ride of the season.  The weather wasn't perfect, but it wasn't raining so we decided to head out on the lake. 

Gavin on his first boat ride.  We had to put a blanket between the life jacket and his face, so it wouldn't rub against his skin.  He pretty much slept the whole time. 

Kaitlyn so excited to be on the boat!  She graduated to a "child" size life jacket this year.

Cruising around the lake!

Gavin is 4 Months Old

Wow, time sure flies with a baby.  Gavin is already 4 months old.  It is so much fun to watch them grow and start to explore the world around them.  Our little guy can be slightly challenging.  He loves to be held and interacted with while he is awake.  He is not a fan of us leaving him alone if we have to help Kaitlyn with something.  Nate's usual line is "Don't wake the Monster." 

Does he look like a monster?  I don't think so. 

Gavin's 4 months Stats are:

Height - 24 1/2" - 50%

Weight - 15.2 lbs. - 50%

Head - 16 1/2" - 50%
* The nurse had to re-check all her numbers to make sure he was at the 50th percentile for each measurement.

Happy Boy!

Gavin and Kaitlyn!

Brother and Sister!

He is really starting to interact with us.  He loves watching his big sister.  She is always busy doing something.  He loves to baby talk and smile.  He is starting to stick out is tongue if we are sticking out our tongues.  He loves to hold onto blankets and small objects.  He is amazed that they move when his hands move.  Nana is convinced that he can say "Hi".  He also giggles when you sneeze or make funny noises.  (I personally haven't heard this, but I have been told by Nana and Grandma that he does.)

A few weeks ago we had to talk Gavin into the doctor.  We found out that he has acid reflux.  He handles it pretty well with Zantac, but I can still tell when it bothers him.  We are hoping he grows out of this, but his daddy has had acid reflux for a long time. 

Even though our little guy can be challenging during the day, but he is an awesome sleeper.  (knock on wood).  He usually goes to bed around 9:30 and wakes up to eat around 6:30 or later.  So, that makes for a very happy mommy in the morning.

Kaitlyn still likes having a little brother, but has started to act out more.  I think she is realizing that Gavin is starting to interact more and take more attention away.

Gavin's Baptism

We had Gavin Baptised on Sunday, June 5th at True Vine Lutheran in Mora. He as two amazing Godmomma's to watch over him while he grows up.

Godmomma Mel and Godmomma Mandi helped us celebrate his Baptism.

 
Gavin looked adorable in the baptismal outfit his cousin Darren wore at his baptism.
 

Daddy showing off Gavin!

Nana Carol, Gavin, and Bopapa

The McNeilly's

Gavin and his Godmamma's Mel and Mandi

Pastor Marlin

Aunty Niki and Aunty Anny with Gavin!

Nana feeding Gavin.

Cuddling with Aunty Tammy.

Best Friends!

NPM Landscapes

It's official.... We started our own Landscaping Company this spring.  After 5 years with Keenan & Svieven as a foreman... Nate decided to start his own company after some downsizing at K&S.  We are excited about this new adventure in our lives. 

We provide the following services:

Landscape Design and Installation

Lawn care and Grounds Maintenance

Residential Property Management

Snow Removal