Garden Wedding

It's hard to believe the end of summer is here already. We've been so busy, there just hasn't been time to do everything we wanted, so we decided to cram it all into one last summer vacation. Last week, we traveled to Florida to visit Gramma and Grandpa Janetka, take Gavin to Disney World, and have the wedding that we have been putting off for the last year.

Chuck and I exchanged vows in the courtyard gazebo at the Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando. Although it was technically autumn, it was 90 deg and humid, and it sure didn't feel like it! Here are a couple pictures of the ceremony.

After the ceremony, Gavin spent some time exploring the gardens.






Here's Mr. Independent reading the horticultural signs and taking a tour of the grounds.

Taking a break from the heat...

He wasn't too interested in slowing down for pictures, but we did manage to get a few with semi-cooperation on his part...

All in all, it was a beautiful morning. I'll have pictures from the rest of our trip posted soon!

13.5 Months

Every time we go out, there's at least one person who asks, "how old is he?" It seems like I was just saying "he's one," and already he's moved on to 13 months, quickly approaching 14! The little guy is a bit under-the-weather today. He has his first fever this weekend, and he's been napping longer than usual. I wanted to share these pictures from a couple weekends ago at Hay's Nature Preserve. We went for a bike ride there, and afterwards Gavin got out and explored. As you'll see, we didn't make it much past the parking lot because there were just too many interesting finds. At least he is attracted to the leaves and not the old cigarette butts...

Here he is describing his find.

Walking with interest toward some dead leaves...

Finally, we are out of the parking lot and making our way towards the trail.

Dance, Gavin, Dance!

I wanted to include this with the last post, but for some reason I thought it would be more difficult than it was. The lighting is dark because I was really just playing with my camera, trying to see if I could figure out how to film a movie without looking at the instruction book. Turned out, it was really easy, and now I regret not trying this sooner. So, I'll get some better quality videos in the future, but here's a preview of Gavin's dance moves!

Ready, Set, Hike!

It doesn't feel much like football weather here in Alabama, but this was opening weekend for the NFL and Gavin was ready! He's been practicing all summer, and football is one of his favorite activities. He loves to run the ball, chanting "read, set, hike!"

For some reason, he just doesn't understand why Macy won't catch.

And Sponge Bob is a good receiver, but he won't return the ball...

Gavin has two footballs - one that is his size (which came from a booth at a technical conference) and one that is regular size (which we found at a hotel a few months ago). The free toys are always the best!

It took quite a while for Gavin to learn how to throw. He's had the motion down for months, but only recently has he figured out the release. The small football is just right for throwing, and he's got a surprizingly good arm. He seems to prefer the big football, though.

Yesterday, we watched the first Bears game on NFL ticket. You can see by Gavin's expression how the game went...

He's not too interested in t.v. - unless there is music he can dance to - and I think that's a good thing. He spent most of the game yesterday playing in his "new" box.

Family Bike Ride

I've been looking at my bike just sitting in the garage almost daily since I found out Gavin was on the way, wishing I could ride it... Well, Daddy's new bike arrived this week, so we set out first thing this morning for a ride on Aldrige Creek Greenway. Notice, Gavin isn't wearing a helmet. After searching and searching for a small enough helmet and then enduring a torture session of adjusting the fit, we came to the conclusion that it just made him too uncomfortable and really isn't necessary, since he is encased in a little steel roll-cage.

Gavin's trailer has plenty of room for toys, and if you look closely, you'll see that he settled in right away with his Care Bears book.

It wasn't long before he was snoozing...

We stopped at Ditto Landing so that Gavin could walk around a little bit and enjoy his snack. He even woke up in a good mood!

Our first ride, and we already got to test out the Chariot's all-weather capability. We rode through rain showers on the way home, and Gavin remained dry and happy.