Gavin and the fire truck...

This was so cool! Gavin's buddy, Caleb Schmidt, had a vintage fire truck come to his birthday party a few weeks ago. You can about imagine Gavin's delight when he got to ride on it, crawl on top of the old hoses and pretend to drive it.

We could easily have missed the ride-around-the-block aspect of this cool deal if Mommy had gotten the extra hot Starbucks beverage that she was longing for that morning on her way down to South Denver, but thanks to Gavin ("No, Mommy, let's not do it. Let's keep driving. We don't want to miss the fire truck.") we made it just in time. You know that this was important to Gavin if he was knowingly forgoing a blueberry scone for the occasion.

This was the little seat that Gavin got to ride in. They tried to squeeze another kid in beside him, but he was sure (and I think that he was right this time) that there really wasn't room for both of them. It's funny to watch your child from a safe distance and observe his behavior, especially when he doesn't know that you're watching.

The second half of this cool birthday party were the homemade Italian pizzas that Caleb's Aunt Nikki made at the Schmidt abode that day. Man, they were good! I just couldn't stop eating!!! Thanks, Auntie Andrea, for including us in a very fun and memorable birthday celebration.

Our growing "Baby Gage"...

In the last 24 hours two people, one being my mother, have told me that gone is "Baby Gage." Honestly, who is this big guy who's taken his place?! I know that I say and think this all the time, but where has nine months gone? Gage still crawls everywhere--and our favorite thing these days is to watch him chase Gavin around the house on all fours, playing hide-and- seek and laughing in delight when he finds his big brother--and stands up on everything, but he shows no immediate signs of walking yet. He's so much fun. His smiles melt our hearts.

I don't know if I've already commented on Gage's second haircut or not, but this one was really official, with a cape and clippers and scissors...the whole deal. Our boys' hair grows so fast! It feels like I'm taking them to get their hair cut every time I turn around. Another thing that makes babies look less like babies--besides the young hair cuts--is when you start dressing them in real pants, right? That always does it for me. Gage has a whole drawer of pants now!

Game time...

Here's Daddy's little Bronco! Thanks to Clayton and Lindsey's gift to Gavin, I decked Gage out in this little Bronco suit on multiple occasions before he outgrew it. He looks so big to me in this picture. Gavin must take Gage's uniform pretty seriously, too, since he's always trying to tackle his tiny brother on the floor. I will say that they were both laughing today for a change; it gave me a little glimpse into their future roughhousing.

Nature shots...

Gage LOVES nature. He can sit and stare at trees and touch the grass forever; I love that about him. I am convinced that he is very fond of the color green.

And Daddy questioned Mommy's desire for a photo shoot, what with the whole "hat-to-cover-up-the-missing-shower" deal and all. It's him we came to watch! He is precious, no doubt about it.

He is the sweetest, most snugly little thing I've ever known. Though I would never wish the stomach bug on anyone or their infants, I will say that snuggling with Gage last week when he was sick was one of my personal highlights in his nine months of life. He would gravitate toward my shoulder all week and fall asleep on me in the cutest little positions. Sometimes I would just sit and rock him for awhile after he was asleep just to have more time to stare at God's beautiful creation. I will miss his smallness.

Gavin turns 3 years old!

Our birthday gift to Gavin was a kite. I love this picture that shows my dad and Brent's step-dad, Bob, helping Gavin fly his new birthday kite. There wasn't quite enough wind the day of his party, but it was fun to watch nonetheless.

Though Gavin refused to pose for the picture, his good buddy, Ali, did not. Isn't that a great face?

Bob was on Gage duty for much of the party, which was very kind.

Here is the birthday boy in all his glory. How is he growing up so fast?! It honestly feels strange for me to say that I have a three-year-old.

I love the frosting all over his face. He helped me make the cupcakes, so it's only fitting that he should wear them too. Thank you to everyone who helped to make Gavin's day so special. It was nice to celebrate him with all of you.