The Obsessions of a Nearly 16 Month-old...

"Vacuum!"... "vacuum, vacuum, vacuum"..."VACUUM!!!!" Have I mentioned that Gabe is slightly obsessed with the vacuum? As I carry him down the stairs for breakfast in the morning, "vacuum?". While eating breakfast, Gabe sees daddy coming down the stairs, points in the general direction of the vacuum and says, "vacuum, vacuum". He is completely mesmerized by the thing. I don't know how many of you have seen the Disney Pixar movie, Finding Nemo, but in the movie there are these seagulls that go "mine, mine, mine, mine..." whenever they see a fish that looks yummy. Well, sometimes Gabe says "vacuum" that fast and repeats it that many times. We will get it out for him and let it sit in the living room where he can play with it. He likes to carry the attachments around and press all of the buttons. Well, as soon as you turn it on in an attempt to use it, it's an entirely different ball game. He watches intently, but won't get within 3 feet of the thing. As soon as it shuts off, he's all about playing with it again. Last night Eser and I were going upstairs to put laundry away, and Gabe cried the whole way up the steps because he wanted the vacuum. Upstairs, with tears streaming down his face, he stood at the baby gate crying, "Vacuum!" He would then thunder into the bedroom like a little baby elephant, look at us longingly and say, you guessed it, "vacuum?"...

Today, Tomorrow, and Always...

I give you this ring as a symbol that I choose you,

To be my lover, my partner, and my best friend,

Today, tomorrow, and always.

Sorry for the delay everyone. It would be an understatement to say that things have been a little hectic since returning from our brief matrimonial trip to Cape May. Let me tell you, we had a perfect weekend. The weather (the day of the wedding in particular) was phenomenal - couldn't have been better. It was a gorgeous day, a lovely ceremony, a delicious dinner, all shared with a couple of our closest friends. What more could you ask for?

Before I start posting pictures, just a little update on the stats from Gabe's 15 month checkup. The "not-so-little" man weighed in at 26 lbs. As far as height is concerned, he was almost off the charts at 33 1/4 inches tall. That puts him in the 97th percentile, basically the height of an average 23 month old. No wonder I'm having to buy 24 month and 2T clothes for him.

Now, what you've all been patiently waiting for...

And now for some non-wedding related pictures...

The Rythm is Gonna Get You

What can I say, the boy loves to dance!!

So, Gabe and I went for a jog this morning over around School Lane Hills, which is by far the most affluent neighborhood in Lancaster. We scored a couple of great finds at a yard sale that we happened to run past. Needless to say, we had to jog home and then drive back over to pick up our goods, but it was well worth it. Gabe, who loves to clean (always trying to get the vaccuum out of the closet or playing with the broom), now has his very own cleaning cart. It came complete with a bucket, rag, dust pan and brush, mop, broom and operational cannister vaccuum that has all the bells and whistles. Not a bad find for $5. The other item that we scored was lawn furniture. We got 3 sturdy little outdoor chairs for Gabe, and his friends of course, that just happen to match our "big people" deck furniture quite nicely (also $5). Not bad for a days work...

Sad Day

Well, folks, today is a sad day in our household. Little Gabriel has outgrown his "Wee Squeaks". I noticed a tiny blister forming on his big toe, and then realized that he had absolutely no room left at all. I mean, it's perfect timing with the weather starting to get colder - time to put the sandals away and break out the closed-toed shoes. But I will miss the little squeak that came with every step. I will really miss knowing where he is at all times without having to turn around and look. They were like little tattle-tails - the faster the squeaks, the higher the probability that he was heading towards something that he wasn't supposed to. Sigh...

The Cutest Bedhead Ever!

Nothing exciting to share verbally, I just couldn't help but post this

picture that I took this morning!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

So... where exactly did this summer go?!?! September 8th already??? The kids (and Eser) are reluctantly back in school, Halloween candy lines the seasonal aisle at the grocery store, pumpkins are adorning the tables at all the roadside produce stands, and this unprecedented, historic mad dash for the White House is officially underway (O-BA-MA! O-BA-MA!)... It all seems absolutely impossible to me. Equally unbelievable is the fact that the wedding is less than 2 weeks away. Now that's just plain crazy. Though we didn't go to the trouble of hiring a photographer, I have specifically asked (and if I didn't ask you, consider this my asking) the few guests attending to bring their cameras and snap away. I'll make sure not to dilly-dally as far as posting the photos is concerned.

This is Eser's second full week back in school, and we are slowly getting into a routine. Gabe now spends the majority of his day with Ethel and Carl. I drop him off at 9:00, and Eser picks him up at 4:00. I know that I have said this before, and I'm sure I will say it again and again, but we are oh so fortunate to have Ethel and Carl. Gabe loves them so much, and I know the feelings are mutual. The first thing Ethel said to me this morning was how much she missed Gabe over the weekend. He has so much fun over there, and rarely (it might have happened once or twice) gives me a second thought as I walk out the door. He reluctantly gives me a kiss, says "bye-bye" in his sweet little voice, and then runs off to look for Carl. He just can't get enough of Carl. If Carl is around, no one else exists - it's as simple as that.

To my dismay, Gabriel is becoming quite the big boy. He is climbing onto and over whatever he can. Not only does he climb, but he does so with lightning speed. One minute he is playing in the kitchen with the magnets on the refrigerator, and the next minute he is in the living room on the couch digging through my purse. He has recently discovered how to twist things, such as lids and caps. If it isn't specifically a childproof lid, then it definitely needs to be kept out of his reach. He's quite the strong little guy as well. I have held on to Gabe's walker for the purpose of keeping him in one location in order to feed him if we happen to be eating in the living room. Before, I would keep one foot on the base of the walker to prevent him from scooting around while he ate. Occasionally that still works, but now Gabriel picks up his walker and runs around the living room carrying it (thank you, Eser, for teaching him this little trick). Refer to the footage below...

Well, speaking of big boy, we went out and purchased Gabe his first "big boy" bed yesterday - an adorable little toddler sleigh bed. We are slowly working on transforming his room back into just that, his room. When Eser's mom had her accident in Mexico, she came to stay with us for a bit. We turned Gabe's room (since he pretty much still rooms with us anyway) into her room so she didn't have to go up and down the stairs to use the bathroom. Anyway, Gabe is reclaiming his territory. Besides the new bed, I am in the process of going through his clothes, putting away what he's outgrown, and moving what he currently wears into drawers that he can't open. I feel like folding laundry is a lost cause sometimes - I fold it and put it away, Gabe opens the drawers and takes it all out. It's a never ending battle. Anyway, once we get through the wedding and such, we are going to work on changing his room from the current jungle animal theme to an aviation theme. Gabe is absolutely amazed with helicopters and airplanes. For those of you that don't know, our house is almost directly across from where the emergency helicopters land on the roof of Lancaster General Hospital. Whenever Gabe hears one coming, he's eyes light up and he gets terribly excited. Eser usually grabs him and they make a mad dash for the front porch where Gabe stares in amazement while his dark little curls blow in the helicopter's breeze.

Well, time to call it a night. Gabe's next doctor's appointment is the 23rd, so, while I'm sure we'll "talk" before then, check back in for the chunkey-monkey's latest stats.

Birthday Wishes

Gabriel just wanted to take this opportunity to wish his Grandpa a very, very happy 63rd birthday!

Happy Birthday, Daddy! We love you!!