Ratatouille

Maybe its from watching Ratatouille about a zillion times, but Gabe is loving "cooking" lately. I set him up with a bowl of cornstarch, he adds water, and voila...gooey sludge that is fun for hours. I will get him working on dinner soon, but for now he is practicing. He also "cooks" in the bathtub, making pretend apple juice. He doesn't even want boats in his tub anymore...is this normal?

the Birmingham experience

Last weekend we took a short trip to Birmingham. The purpose was twofold. One, to pick up some dining chairs that my aunt and uncle were giving to my mom for the New Orleans condo. Two, to visit with Aunt Jane and Uncle Robert. Since moving into their condo a few years ago, I had not been to Birmingham to see them. So, it was great to catch up, and give Gabe the Birmingham experience I had as a child. First, there is the obligatory trip to see Vulcan. Below is a photo of the Vulcan museum. The house in the photo in the upper left corner is the home where my Uncle Robert grew up. Uncle Robert is so special to us, and so is his city...


This is the view from their condo on Red Mountain...breathtaking.


Second, according to my childhood memories, in order to have an Aunt Jane and Uncle Robert Birmingham experience, one must taste some sort of ethnic food. As a child, we were always exposed to something new and different when visiting Aunt Jane and Uncle Robert. Gabe fulfilled this by eating egg rolls, which he has never tasted before. He loved it, and I will be sure to get this boy egg rolls at home. Next time we may have to expose him to Indian food!

During college, I spent a summer in Birmingham and lived with my aunt and uncle. They were such gracious hosts, and I will always be thankful for the experiences I have had with them. I hope Gabe remembers his first trip to Birmingham as well.

Sandbox in the City

When you don't have a huge yard, you can't have a huge sandbox. I would feel terrible for depriving our precious boy, but Gabe plays in the sandbox a lot at school. This was just a fun afternoon activity. See, I had a bag of sand to fill a little hole in our yard. So, I filled the hole, and the next morning...darn! the hole was back. I think we might have a critter of some kind...any ideas?

This was only one frustration for the weekend. The second, was the sewing machine. See, I am learning to sew. I literally just got it out of the box, and spent a loooong time trying to sew two seams. After a tense morning, and almost throwing it out the window, I actually sewed something...I will post pics later.

I think that I thrive on frustration a bit. The more annoying something is, the more I want to master it...I believe I have found a new hobby...sewing is annoying and satisfying at the same time!

Bookcase makeover

When we first moved into this house, one thing that bothered me was this gigantic blank wall in the kitchen above the existing tv. I knew that this could be put to serious use. This bookcase was made a while ago by Brad's dad's good friend, Bill, who can build just about anything in his ultimate basement workroom (I am so jealous). Although it was put in a while back, I thought I would share since it one of the most useful things I go to all day. It is hard not to just drop stuff there...doesn't everyone have a catchall place in their house, that just always seems to attract stuff. Well, this is my attempt at reigning in the junk. I love it because there is a place for the phonebook, stamps, envelopes, and cookbooks at a hands reach. The boxes at the top are wine crates from Martin's wine cellar. I cannot remember how much they were, but I do know it was less than $3 a peice. That is where I stash Gabe's artwork and stuff that I plan to organize later. The bottom shelves are now Gabe's territory for toys that he can reach. Anyway, I thought I would share since this is one thing that I enjoy so much...thank you Mr. Bill!!!

after

I never dreamed I would have a basketball goal in my kitchen...temporary, but fun! Also, I would love to remove the in-glass blinds and put up wall to wall curtains in a breezy white linen (Brad will have a heart attack, therefore this is waaaaay down on the list).

before
before

One would need gigantic artwork for this to look right. It looks like the previous owners came to the end of the renovation, ran out of money, and said "what can we cut out", and the bookshelves got nixed.

Rain, Rain

This is why we didn't go to the LSU game on Saturday.

note the sea of ponchos

Instead, we watched from the dry and cozy couch and porch at the May home. So, we got the best of both worlds...being dry and enjoying a Tiger win. Of course Gabe had a ball playing with his buddies, and we also got to visit with Mema and Uncle Will too.

It rained continuously the entire weekend. This has some perks such as spending Sunday on the couch reading a great book, and Gabe's cabbages in the garden are looking pretty good too. I will post a pic soon.

Labor Day

This is how we spent Labor Day weekend. We had a wonderful time with the with the May boys in Orange Beach.

This is how Gabe and Cooper spent most of their time. Cooper was so sweet to wait for Gabe so they could slide together.

Gabe training for a remake of "Baywatch"

kites on the beach

I am so glad that Gabe has some lifelong buddies that treat him like one of their brothers. Fun times!

architect?

Uh oh! I think we have an architect on our hands...this boy loves to draw, draw, draw. All over momma's work too.

first day of school

Last year I reluctantly dropped off (carried to his classroom) our one year old baby to nursery school. It was so difficult and heart wrenching and traumatic (for me, not Gabe). This year our two year old boy didn't walk, but ran to school. I cannot believe the difference a year makes!

first day of school this year


first day of school last year

bugs

I have to admit, I was not the first one out the door for the Insectarium. But...we had a blast. Gabe was grinning the entire time. Also, Audubon members get $5 tickets through September. We will definitely take advantage again.

not sure if he wants to approach that dinosaur

the butterflies were my favorite