Another Snow Day

I opened the door this morning and saw this...

Eesh! When is this going to be over? We are so ready for some spring.

Just two pictures from my phone

I haven't been taking many pictures this last week. It was a snowed in week, and it looks like this upcoming one will be too. We (as in Gabe and I) are a little stir crazy.

Hearts and Smiles

Happy belated Valentine's Day! Nothing too fancy around here. Phil and I rented a lame movie to watch last night, and, sort of as an after thought, I finally decided to make heart-shaped sugar cookies around 9:00pm, which we weren't even able to eat until today. Tonight, however, we went to a couples event put on by the school. There was dinner, games and dancing, and a ton of fun couples to visit with. Phil was exceedingly happy about the ribs, and was sad that I wouldn't let him go get seconds.

As for the wee ones, we've just been playing it up at home. Gabe loves his new bed, and he loves snuggling with us in our bed. He just loves beds. And sleeping. Rubi's happy all - the - time. We'll go days without hearing her cry. She's just about lost all of her hair, she smiles with her tongue, and she always gets startled when Phil burps. She likes to watch Gabe, and Gabe is starting to really notice her. In fact, first thing every morning, he goes looking for her. He's not very good at showing affection to others, but he'll take my hand and throw it in her direction and sometimes touch her ear or foot, so I take that to mean that he loves her. When it's time to go anywhere, Gabe will go and grab her carseat handle to remind me to bring Rubi, and he laughs every time I put her in the car next to him. Sibling love.

Here's some more sibling love. I apologize for the massive amount of pictures. We had a ton of fun taking them one afternoon and I couldn't just choose one. I'm sure you all think you have the cutest kids in the world, and in your world, they are. In my world, however, these two trump them all.

Potty Mouth

DISCLAIMER: This post contains some disturbing descriptions. Not recommended for the weak-minded or feeble-stomached.

So, we had to buy a new toilet this last week. No, nothing was wrong with the toilet, other than the fact that it had been clogged for several days. We'd done the flush/wait rotation a ton of times before moving on to the plunger. Nothing. Still clogged. The water (or whatever else was in the toilet) would eventually eventually, ever so slowly, after the course of hours, pass through, but there was no foreseeable end to this clog. I bought a new plunger, hoping that was the cause of our problems. Nope. Nothing. Then, after doing some online digging, I realized we might need to get an auger. So, we did, and we tried it out. This auger got all bent out of shape and didn't solve the problem, so I figured we might need a better auger. We went out and got a better, more heavy-duty one, but we were still hitting a wall (literally). In fact, after using the auger, the clog got worse, to where nothing would drain. It was so bad, in fact, that at 11:30 pm I had to drive to Walmart to use their restroom. The next morning we called the plumber. Unable to dislodge the clog through all the usual methods (i.e. the ones we had previously tried), he had to remove the toilet to inspect the pipes. What did he find? Some unfortunate blue and green toy had been lodged in the bend of the pipe, and without  breaking the toilet apart, there was no way to get it out. So, we had to get a brand new toilet! Ahhhh...Gabe!

While the toilet drama was going on, I was giving Gabe a bath one night. I had left the room to go change Rubi, or throw clothes in the laundry basket, or something. When I went back in, the water looked murky, like it usually does when he takes the bar of soap and chips and whittles it down into little tiny pieces. It took me a few minutes to realize that the murky water wasn't the usual green soap-like color; it was brown! Yes. He had done a number in the tub, and was slowly chipping and whittling down the pieces just like he does with the soap. Revolting! The cleanup was horrible, and then the next day, I had to clean the tub again because that's where the toilet went while the plumber was inspecting it.

Needless to say, we had a messy week, and Gabe is never aloud in the bathroom again. Ever.

Stacking

Our little champ built this all by himself.

:)

Tres Meses

Rubi is three months old!

She:

*still sleeps like a champ

*has blowouts 2-3 times a day

*can sit in the Bumbo...sort of 

*loves it when people smile at her

*has super duper dry, scratchy skin (maybe eczema?)

*has a face that totally lights up when she smiles

*likes to watch Gabe

*always holds her hands in fists, with the thumb poking through the 2nd & 3rd fingers

*gags herself by putting her whole fist in her mouth

*starts gagging every time we put the bottle in her mouth (I seriously think she has an ultra sensitive gag reflex)

*started giggling this last week

*kicks her feet and waves her arms constantly

*is the most wonderful baby

Turning Two

 Gabe turned 2 yesterday!

We had a pretty chill day at home, which suited him nicely. His friends, A and B (brothers) came over to play. We opened up a few gifts - thanks family for everything you sent! He's been in present heaven today. We had homemade Jamba Juices and Angry Birds cupcakes, and he watched Wall-E twice!

Here are some fun things you might not know about Gabe:

1. The Essential Three. There are three things that Gabe carries around with him everywhere: his sippy cup, his dirty white blanket, and his teddy bear.

2. Angry Birds. This kid is strangely fantastic at Angry Birds. He loves to play it on Phil's ipad. Even though he knows he's not supposed to play it unless we let him, Gabe's getting good at sneaking it off Phil's lap when he's not looking or when he's dozed off while studying.

3. Strike or Spare. Bowling is one of his favorite activities! We don't know where it came from, but he loves it when we go bowling. He likes to watch other people bowl just as much as he likes to do it himself.

4. Ready Set Go. Gabe is getting pretty fast. He runs back and forth through the rooms in our home, slamming his body into the wall or the couch or the door. Rubi's gotten to where she doesn't even flinch when he slams next to her while she's napping on the couch.

5. Reader's Corner. Favorite books (in no order): Llama Llama Nighty Night. Bigsby's Best Friend. Bigsby's Big News. Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance. There's a Wocket in My Pocket. Green Eggs and Ham. Who Loves You. Goodnight Moon. 

6. Movie Time. Favorite movies (again, no order): Wall-E. Despicable Me. Kung Fu Panda. Kung Fu Panda 2. How to Train Your Dragon. Prince of Egypt. Tangled. Up.

7. YouTube. Favorite youtube songs: This. This. This. This. This. And This.

8. High Five and Knuckles. Even if he's super upset - even verge-of-tantrum upset - if Phil asks him for a high five and knuckles, Gabe has to do it. It's really cute to watch his internal wrestle as he wants to continue to be angry, but has to high five.

9. Couch Cuddler. Gabe is a great cuddler. Every morning we cuddle under a blanket, plus the white blanket, while he drinks his milk.

10. Chore Master. In a few short years I'll be able to relinquish all responsibility over the cleanliness of our home to Gabe. He's not exactly the cleanest person, and I am continually picking up after him, but he loves to help with the laundry, load/unload the dishwasher, sweep and mop, and pick up all the toys at exercise group.

We love Gabe so much and we are looking forward to another awesome year!