Hiking on "The Mountain"

In Huntsville, Monte Sano is known as "the mountain." At 3000 ft elevation, I'm not sure I'd call it a mountain, but it does have some great trails. We usually hike here most weekends, and sometimes during the week.


Gavin loves his new pack! Even with the rain/sun hood on, he spends the first half mile or so pulling Mommy's hair. But after that, he'll settle in and to enjoy the scenery and might even dose off for a short nap. Carrying an extra 30 lbs over these trails is a great workout!

Garden Walks

Every night, I load Gavin up in his pack and we go outside - doggies, kitties, and all - to enjoy the evening and check the progress of our garden veggies. Gavin has finally outgrown his Baby Bjorn, and now his standard "ride" is a larger, internal frame backpack. Tonight, though, I decided to let him play on a blanket. Here he is leaving the blanket...

Eating a leaf...

Chasing Bongo...

Lil' Swimmer

After months of hot, humid weather, we finally invested (all of $6) in a baby pool. With Gavin fully mobile and getting into everything, I thought the pool would keep him safely entertained so that I could sit back, relax, and just watch him play. As much as he loves playing in the bathtub, it never occurred to to me that he might dislike the pool. So I plopped him in, expecting an hour or so to enjoy my glass of wine and actually talk with Chuck... I don't know if it was the slightly deeper, or slightly cooler water, but the instant I put him in, the screaming started.
So I put on my bathing suit and decided we'd try again. He held on to me for dear life for about the first minute...until he became too distracted splashing around and "forgot" he needed to hold on. It didn't take long for him to build confidence, and 30 minutes later, he was screaming when I tried to take him OUT of the pool.

Drivin' the Truck-ee

I thought I had another 15 years or so before I had to worry about my baby behind the wheel. Daddy lets Gavin "drive" him down the driveway on his way to work, and now it is his favorite morning ritual!
He's got steering down pretty well, but he's not quite tall enough to reach the peddles...

Mommy's Little Artist

With all the rainy days we've been having lately, I thought Gavin might like to try some new indoor activities. Here he is with his first coloring book...not quite sure what to do with it...

Gavin found lots of uses for the crayons, none of which involved coloring. He seemed to think they were good for throwing, conducting an imaginery orchestra, and, of course, eating.

New Beginnings

Gavin's first birthday is right around the corner, and I am overwhelmed with photos and keepsakes patiently waiting to be organized and put into some sort of baby book...and then I look at my precious little baby - now almost toddler - standing at over 30 inches tall! So, instead of another failed attempt to make a scrapbook that probably no one will ever look at, I decided to start sharing our new "adventures" with all of you. Welcome to Gavin's World!