Nifty Fifty

Last Saturday was my dad's 50th birthday. We all came to town to spend the weekend with him and had a great time. We ate all of our favorite foods and just got to hang out and spend some good quality time together. Beck has some pics from the weekend on her blog, but here are a few recent pics of "bapa," as Gabe calls him. Happy Birthday, Dad! You look pretty good for 50! :-)

Kittie Video

Here's a short video of the new kitties (and a little bit of Gabe's booty shake).

Help Us Name Our New Meows

We've been contemplating a new addition to the family by way of pet (no, not another baby just yet). We've looked around casually at cats and dogs, but everytime we do we're a little apprehensive at the thought of the training, maintenance, etc. However, Gabe LOVES "meows" (sounds like "mau" when he says it) and Jamie's cousin's cat just had a new batch. So....we stopped by Saturday morning just to look and ended up taking two! I must say, they were just adorable and we couldn't resist! Plus, we felt better taking them away from their mommy knowing that at least they would have each other. But, we don't have names yet. We think we will call the fluffy one "meow" since that's what Gabe calls them, but haven't decided on another name (we also aren't sure if they're boys or girls). If anyone has any name ideas, we'd love to hear them! More to come on the meows, but for now here are a few pics of the new little ones.

Pweeeeeezzzzz????

I've been meaning to post about this for a while now, but I keep forgetting. Gabe is really good with his "manners".....he usually says "peace" when he wants something and "tay too" when he gets it. Well lately, when we ask him for something (i.e. can mommy have that?) he'll say (very slowly) "Pweeezzz?" like he's telling us to say "please"! It's pretty funny. I haven't been able to catch it on video yet, but I'll try. What cracks me up is he says it so much clearer and more drawn out than when he is actually saying it to get something.

Pesto Presto

If anyone else out there has a gigantic basil plant and doesn't know what to do with it, here's an easy pesto recipe I found on allrecipes.com:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts (I toast them in a little bit of olive oil)
Salt to taste

All you do is throw everything in a food processor and voila! Sometimes I add a little extra olive oil. We usually just toss it with a box of mostaciolli or penne and it's a pretty good meal.

Playmates

We got together this past Saturday with some college friends and their little ones - aren't the little ones cute? They all look so huge next to the new baby! We were talking about how when we used to hang out it was going out to dinner or watching a movie and now we're chasing after all the kids! But it's a lot of fun. Gabe was a little on the shy side, and wanted to keep the Elmo book that Kaitlyn gave Christine for her birthday.

Buckingham Fountain

Here are a few quick pics of our trip to Buckingham Fountain with Gabe. We went downtown about a week and a half ago so I could drop something off at work, and we walked around Grant and Millenium Parks for a little bit. We also got dinner at the new Rock & Roll McDonals - it's HUGE and very cool.

Dancing with the Stars!

I'm not sure if any of you out there are fans of this show, but I've become quite addicted. The new season started tonight, and despite all the work I need to do tonight, I was transfixed. I must say, I think I'm rooting for Joey (Joey Lawrence) and AC Slater (Mario Lopez). :-) Watching it makes me really wish I could dance, and I can't to save my life. Maybe I'll take lessons some day....

Sweet Baby Girl

I just got back from spending a few days in Rochester with Heather and little baby Payton. It was great to see them both. Payton is even sweeter and more beautiful than she looks in her pictures, and Heather is just such a wonderful mom. We got some good girl time in and overdosed on chocolate cake last night. :-) Please continue to keep them in your prayers. As a family, they continue to amaze me with their faith and strength.

I hadn't realized how much I missed Dan and Gabe until I got home and saw them in the front yard. It seems like Gabe looks so much older than when I left! He was really happy to see me and gave me lots of hugs and kisses. He kept taking me by the hand and pulling me into the living room to play with his toys. I was glad because whenever I tried to talk to him on the phone while I was gone, he would get really angry and upset and I thought he might be mad at me when I got back!

Dan taught him how to bump fists while I was gone, which is pretty funny. If you hold your fist out to him he'll come up and punch it with his fist like he's a very cool dude. :-)