Fun in the trash can

So I probably shouldn't encourage G to be throwing his toys in the trash can - it is kind of gross. (Thankfully this trash had been emptied recently so it was pretty much empty). But one of the things he does not want to to is put objects into a larger container. He absolutely refuses to put the shapes in his shape sorter. This is something we worked on for months with his PT and OT in Duluth and he just won't do it. It's a major milestone problem-solving skill that kids need to master before mastering other skills. And he still really won't do it. So if he wants to put his monkey in to the trash can, I think I will let him.

 Although I may try to lysol it out good and make sure it stays empty of trash...

G's new water table

So I had been looking around a lot for a water table for Gabe. The cheapest new one that I could find was $40. So I thought I'd check out ebay. So I found a gently used one on ebay (the same one selling for $40 new) for a buy it now price of $5 plus $10 shipping. So i jumped on that steal and ordered it right away. It also came with a bunch of water toys. All that for $15. Crazy! Extremely crazy...

So about a week later I got a box in the mail. I was like this is way too small to be the water table.... Opened it up and sure enough it was a bunch of water toys but no table. So I contacted the seller and asked what was up. She said the table was coming in a seperate shipment. So I was like ok, as long as it shows up soon. But also thinking to myself - this seller is pretty clueless about selling on ebay (she didn't have any reviews, so must be a new seller). But she had spent $13 just to ship that one box of toys. I knew there was no way she shipped the water table for $2....

So a few days later I got a notice in my mailbox that I had a large package waiting for me at the post office. So I went and picked it up. It was a HUGE box. And the worker at the post office was like, wow they spent a fortune to ship that......

Yes, you read that right. $107.96!!!! I was completely shocked. Why she didn't ship it thru UPS where it would have been a lot less is beyond me. Or why she didn't cotact me and say her estimate for shipping costs was severely off... 

 So she spent $121 to ship all the stuff I bought. I paid $15 total. Looks like she's out $106. I felt kind of bad, but you are supposed to research shipping costs before posting your shipping price on ebay.

On another note, Gabe absolutely loves it! If he sees it outside (through a window) he gets pretty whiney and wants to go out and play with it.

4th of July Weekend

So it was kind of weird not going anywhere for the 4th of July Weekend this year. We've usually gone to Indiana or the cabin for the weekend. But not this year.... And actually Adam had to work on Saturday and Monday (they are under a big deadline for the end of July), so it really didn't feel like a holiday weekend.

Every year, our community does hot air balloon rides each morning over the 4th. We saw some flying Sunday morning. And then Monday morning, Gabe and I went for a walk to see a bunch of them.

 

On Saturday, our friends (who we met in Ohio through the air force) came up for the afternoon. We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. I attempted to make semi-homemade hamburger buns- there was a recipe in a magazine I just got and they looked so good, but mine were a total failure.... the bottoms were burnt but they weren't cooked thru. So I ran to the store quick and got some buns. We also had homemade macaroni and cheese, watermelon, grapes, chips & dip. For dessert we  made homemade strawberry ice cream and brownies with red, white & blue m&ms. We had way too much food - after 3 days of eating leftovers, there is still quite a bit left, but I am quite sick of it all.... We also went over to the community pool for an hour or two. The kids seemed to enjoy that. It wasn't nearly as busy as I expected for a holiday weekend. The Reynolds also brough their swamp cooler for us to borrow, so the guys spent a while installing that too. In the few days we've had it, it has definitely helped keep the house cooler.

On Sunday, the three of us went over to the little 'fair' thing they had going on in our community. Unfortunatley there wasn't a whole lot there. Some of the food looked good, but it was early and we weren't hungry. Might have been a little more fun if Gabe were slightly older - they had a bounce house and a little petting zoo. But other than that, there really wasn't a whole lot there. So we decided to run home and grab our pool stuff and head to the pool for a bit. Gabe love love loves going to the pool. Usually throws a fit when we leave.

On Monday, Adam had to go in to work until about 2. When he got home, we all just hung out at home for awhile. Then we went to town and had dinner at a Mexican restaurant - yum!. (we were tired of hamburgers and hot dogs, so wanted something different).  We debated about staying for the fireworks in town, but there was still a few hours before they started, and G was pretty tired. So we rented a couple movies and came home. Did a little bit of cleaning and then watched one of the movies we got.

The past few days...

Sorry, no pictures/videos today. Maybe next time....

So, last Wednesday, Gabe & I went to a little playgroup at one of the churches we've been trying out. It was fun to be around a few other moms and their kids. Then Thursday, a new friend (also named Katie) (who I met at the same church through a Bible study - she also just moved here recently from Montana for her husbands job - they have 3 girls) called and invited us over to hang out for the morning, which turned in to lunch and then after we all went over to the pool to check that out. It was the first pretty decent day in a while so the pool was pretty busy, but it was nice. They have seperate kiddie-pool that's only 1 foot deep, so that was perfect for the kids. Gabe sat on my lap in the pool and splashed for probably close to 2 hours. He was not happy when we packed up to head home.
On Friday, Gabe & I went in to town to do a few errands. Spent the afternoon cleaning up a bit and getting stuff for tacos prepped while Gabe napped. Katie and her husband and their girls came over for dinner. The girls had a lot of fun exploring Gabe's toys. We hung out for a few hours while the kids played and watched a movie. It was fun to have people over. Besides my parents visit last weekend, we haven't had anyone else over. So it was a nice change.
Saturday I went to town and got a haircut and did a little shopping. Nice to get a few things done in town while Gabe and Adam hung out at home. After Gabe's nap, the 3 of us went over to the pool. It was a bit cooler and the breeze was definitely cool, so we didn't stay much longer than an hour. But again, Gabe was not happy to leave.
This morning we tried out a new church. Unfortunately the Gideons were there and had a big presentation, so we didn't get to hear a regular sermon. (nothing against the Gideons - we just seem to pick days to try new churches that they have special speakers or events so can't get a feel for a regular service) So we'll have to try it again sometime here. They have only been meeting for a year and meet at a school, so that was a bit different. And they didn't have childcare for Gabe's age, so that was a little difficult. I ended up taking him into another room because he was not in the mood to sit still for over an hour. After church we came home and had lunch then Gabe took a nap while Adam mowed and I planted some new tomato and pepper plants (we lost all of ours over Memorial Weekend with the cold and massive rain we had). After Gabe got up from a good long nap, he came outside with us and played in his little pool we had set up earlier. He sat in there for over an hour splashing. There was maybe an inch or two of water left by the end. He sure loves his water  :-)  Think he'll sleep well tonight after all that working out

More updates...

Gabe likes to store his cup to the side of him in his high chair. For some reason, it is extremely funny to him.

While unpacking all of our stuff, we came across a nerf gun. Gabe absolutely loves it - especially the "splat" noise it makes when the suction cup end of it hits a window or wall.

 A couple of weekends ago, we went down to Lancaster (about an hour away) and spent the day with some friends. Adam helped Erik get some work done out in the garage. Gabe and I hung out with Missy and the other kiddos. Also went to the mall and found a dress for a wedding we are going to in a couple weeks. On the way home, we drove by way of the musical road. I got my phone out just in time to record this little video of it. It's kind of funny - just a random road in the middle of the desert.

(sorry, didn't realize it uploaded sideways, but it's more the sound that I was going for anyways)

Boot Camp!

This past weekend my parents came to visit. It was a fun, but fast, weekend. We drove around town and out around the windfarm and through Mojave, and also up in some of the mountains right around us, but other than that, we mostly just hung out at the house. Grampa had Gabe working out lots - walking all around the backyard and all over in the house. Mostly hanging on with one or two hands, but by Sunday, they had him walking across the living room all by himself!

He is still very hesitant, and obviously not super sure on his feet, but making lots of progress! He definitely needs the right motivation to make him want to put forth the effort.