Splish, Splash...

What a great time Neal has had with his cousins in Seattle. They have been playing all sorts of games together and we have gotten a lot of fun pictures so there will be lots more pictures of adventures in Seattle to come. Tonight however was an extra special night because it was "tubby time".

At home if Neal wants a buddy for tubby time he gets Yawkey.


This is fun for Neal but Yawkey is not so thrilled with the whole bath time idea. The bath time buddies tonight were different. We got all four cousins in the tubby tonight at Grandma's house and they had a blast. They played great together and there were only a few tears over incidental splashing. The bathroom was filled with mostly lots of smiles and laughing, and best of all by the end there were lots of happy, clean kiddos.

Neal's very first Christmas

Christmas for us was in Seattle this year. What a great day we had with lots of family and friends. Our day started off with coffee and a reading from my dad's favorite Christmas story book. We then moved on to watching the kids open their stockings. Neal was very interested in pulling all the toys out his stocking and loved the large jingle bell that Grandma gave him.




We had a wonderful Christmas breakfast, more coffee and then moved onto present opening. The whole concept of opening gifts was new for Neal and he wasn't really interested in any present unwrapping. That coupled with the fact that it was past nap time ment that I got to open most of Neal's gifts.

(Merry Christmas! - it's so nap time)

(wearing the hat mom got for Christmas)


Neal sure did love playing with all the new toys throughout the rest of the day. It was extra fun with all the cousins around.



(Neal and Providence playing the toy firetruck)

We enjoyed lots of food, dessert, christmas music, games and even a christmas play put together by Neal's cousins. There was lots of laughing and lots of Grandma and Papa time for the kiddos.



It was a wonderful Christmas with my family.

Baby Quilt Completed

Well better late then never right? I finally finished Neal's baby quilt today. I had great plans to make his quilt before he was born and be able to take him home all wrapped up in it - but of course that didn't happen. It is done before his first birthday so I think that isn't too bad. I am so happy with how it came out. It was quite the project piecing together the border (1" unfinished strips are hard to work with). My favorite part of the whole processes is the hand applique and the hand quilting. I tend to try and rush through the piecing processes just to get to the hand work. I sure hope Neal likes the quilt as much as I do.


(notice his names down the side)

I learned this new way to attached the binding and love how the corners turned out. I think I will use this method again next time.


(the tag on the back of the quilt)

A little memory about the tag: When I was a little over half way through my pregnancy I was driving home from work one night and started thinking about what I needed to do to get started on his quilt. As I thought through the whole process of making the quilt I thought about the very last piece of the whole project, the tag. As I thought about what I would right on the tag I thought; his name, date of birth and then "love, mom". Then it hit me - I'm going to be a mom! That moment really sticks out in my mind as the time that it hit me that Tyler and I were going to be parents ---we were going to be "mommy" and "daddy". I then remember thinking "what?!? Am I really ready to be a mom?" God has perfect timing however and knew that we were ready for this little boy.



We will be spending lots of time together snuggling under this quilt. What an amazing opportunity it is to be a mom. God has already taught me a lot about myself, relying on Him and patience through this little guy. I love being "Mommy".

2010 Gates Family Tree Trek

We had a great time this weekend out in Palmer with Tyler's family on our annual Christmas Tree Trek. We only got a total of three trees this year (not all of us needed trees or had already gotten our trees) but we all joined in on the fun afternoon. We headed out a little later then originally planned (thanks JR) but still managed to find all three trees before we lost daylight. Everyone was bundled up including the babies and we had hot coffee waiting in the car for the ride home.








When we arrived back at the house in Palmer there was a power outage. This didn't stop us from enjoying the evening - it did make it more difficult to cook dinner and play cards but we managed. Another successful Tree Trek for the record.

10 months and cookies

10 months old and as always as cute as can be :) Neal loves to tell us that his is "so big." (he does this by raising his arms above his head when you ask him "how big are you?)


To help mark 10 months Neal got his third tooth and started to walk - not walk on his own but with the help of his little walker/wagon he can get around quite well. He looks so much older when he is "walking". It is funny to watch him concentrate on walking and then look up with excitement to get our approval of his accomplishment. I am sure he will soon be walking on his own.




Though we already have our little tree up we are going to go up to Palmer for the annual Gates family tree trek and participate (without getting a tree). You can't have a tree trek without coffee, family and of course Christmas cookies. Aunt Katy came over yesterday and we had a day of baking some of our most favorite treats to share with everyone at the tree trek. We had so much fun and Neal was so excited to wake up from his morning nap and find Aunt Katy in the house. We made Crescent Dainties, Mint Brownies and Creamy Peanut Butter Delights.



Neal mostly wanted to hang out in the kitchen with Katy and I the whole afternoon. I guess he knew exactly what we were baking and wanted to be as close to the goodness as possible. He did get to taste test some of the icing for us and helped me with the dishes later that afternoon.



Now I sure hope we can refrain from eating all those delicious treats until the tree trek this weekend.

Enjoying the Snow

We got a nice fresh layer of snow and decided to venture out on the back deck and take some pictures in it. We got Neal all bundled up in his snow outfit and headed outside. It was a beautiful sunny day out however, like always it was FREEZING. Neal was a great sport out there but after about 10 minutes we were all ready to head back inside and get warm. We managed to get Yawkey out there for a few minutes but he quickly darted back to the door for the warmth of the house. Here are the few outdoor winter pictures that we got:





Also I want to note that I have been blogging quite a lot lately and just want you all to know that this is probably not going to be a habit. It just so happens that with Tyler's new camera we have been taking lots more pictures (if that's even possible). They turn out so great every time that I just have to share them. So all that to say enjoy the plethora of blogging for now 'cause I am sure it is bound to slow down at some point :)

Daily happenings ...

Our days seems to fill up faster and faster each week. During the holiday season this seems to be true even more with the shopping, get togethers, decorating and birthdays. So when we aren't busy running around doing errands, or going places what do we do with our time? Here is a little glimps of what Neal likes to do at home...

Rolling the basketball back and forth

Crawling all over the house - mostly chasing the puppy

Playing with the xbox controller

Playing guitar and singing with Daddy

Playing peak-a-boo behind the bedroom door


The other week some friends and I all took the kids to an indoor playground/coffee shop called Arctic Playgroundz. It was a lot of fun for the kids and we got to enjoy a nice cup of coffee while visiting and watching the kids play together.




We also have had a lot of fun as a family getting together with friends for any reason. We even got to take Neal to his first birthday party for his friend Jonathan.


Though Neal mostly wanted to eat the whole time (there was lots of yummy food to try) he did find some time to play. Him and Jonathan love to interact with each other. While they were playing they found that they had party hats on and after finding the string on his hat this is what happened:



I laughed when I saw the pictures. I didn't know that I had snapped a picture right as he snapped himself with the hat string. Though it was a startling/slightly uncomfortable moment for Neal he quickly recovered and enjoyed the rest of the party.

We have such a wonderful group of friends here. I have loved experiencing the joys and trails of motherhood with these ladies as we all became new moms together. What a fun time we have - and the kids are really starting to interact with one another and sometime even recognize each other which is a lot of fun.