Seven Months Today!

It's All in the Family!

CREATIVITY ... IMAGINATION ...

it's all in the family ...

Imagination has brought mankind through the dark ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination led Columbus to discover America. Imagination led Franklin to discover electricity. Imagination has given us the steam engine, the telephone, the talking-machine, and the automobile, for these things had to be dreamed of before they became realities. So I believe that dreams--daydreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain machinery whizzing--are likely to lead to the betterment of the world. The imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to invent, and therefore to foster, civilization.
L. Frank Baum

I love that quote! See more imagination being put into action HERE! That's Cousin Jim's company Website. Then, there's more imaginative and creative work HERE! That's Cousin Karen's business Website! It's fun to see these family Websites out there in Cyberspace. I hope to join them too one day if imagination will allow.

More Cousin Time

Nathan had fun playing with Cousin Calvin and Spencer (not pictured) while we were visiting Menahga last weekend. We even got to see their happy dog who likes to climb trees (seriously) ...

Nathan's Milestones

Who says two-year-olds have reached all their amazing milestones!? Nathan and Cousin Ella experienced some fun milestones this weekend! They play so well together and Nathan has not only learned to share with Ella but he also plays with Ella. Then, they took a walk together hand in hand around the house. It was cute!

Milestones

Gavin reached some milestones over the weekend. At seven months old he is finally Rolling Over! Also, Gavin recently began touching his toes and taking off his socks! He is a little late in doing these things but there is a LOT of baby between him and reaching these developmental milestones. Seeing as he is an intuitive genius, there is no telling what he has plans for next! :-)

Giving Thanks

Got Milk?

One day, Nathan was adamant about having cereal and milk for breakfast. Eager to please my doe eyed son, who was pleading with me in a way only a toddler knows how, I proceeded to gather all the necessary ingredients … Rice Krispees, a bowl, a spoon, milk … but wait! As I open the refrigerator I find we are out of milk!!! Oh No! This is not going to go over well with my mini king. What to do. Then suddenly I spotted it: Infant Formula! Should I? Why not, he’ll never know the difference. Well, this is what Nater thought of cereal and baby formula.

Nathan with Boppa

Nater is staying with Grandpa & Grandma this week for three nights. It sounds like he is enjoying his time with them, as he always does when he stays with "Boppa & Ba-Blah." And then there's "Old Ba-Blah," as they refer to Grandma Lake. Here is Nathan with Boppa riding the four-wheeler. Don't worry, they go
very SLOW!

Gavin's First Food!

Gavin is finally starting to eat solids; he had no interest in it until we introduced peas. It was so funny watching him learn to eat! He seems to think his tongue needs to come out like a lizard. Then enter Nathan into the kitchen - he was having a hard time with Gavin getting all the attention for the short time that it was. So, here's an evening with the Seversons! (Pay attention to the second frame of the video - Gavin's tongue is hilarious!)

Below is a picture of what eating has been like for Gavin until last night! He liked to blow the food around, giving Mommy, Gavin and anyone else walking by a shower.

Climbing

Gavin's New Friend

Gavin made a new friend, Yoda, at Alley's Halloween party. His friend is much more advanced than Gavin. Here's Yoda giving Gavin a lesson in tummy time. Then, Gavin looking up at him saying, "Can you give me some more direction, please? I can't quite figure this out..."

Vote 2006

Today we voted! The boys have several issues that are important to them in their own immediate worlds. Aside from healthcare and stem cell research, Gavin was concerned about agriculture - and the farming community; who will ensure an adequate milk supply in the coming years? Among Nathan's concerns of education and social security, he was mainly wondering about the possibility of the Minnesota clothing tax and whether or not it would mean a cut in his sizable wardrobe budget ...

24

Twenty-Four ...
24 is the number of hours there are in a day.
It's the number of pacifiers we have in our house.
24 is the name of one of our favorite shows starring Kiefer Sutherland.
It's the age my mom was when she had her first daughter.
24 is also Gavin's WEIGHT, which I learned at his six-month check-up yesterday.




Gavin is a big boy but he is also a tall boy so the doctor says he is proportionate and likely to be a tall, thin athlete someday. He was a bit congested yesterday, which he is occasionally, and the doctor says he has Bronchiolitis. He says many babies have that but they soon grow out of it. Luckily, he's not concerned about asthma or asthmatic bronchitis, which was a concern of John's Dad back in August. Gavin now has a prescription for Albuterol, which we give to him whenever he sounds wheezy. It helps him breathe better by opening his airways.

Catch me if you Can!

When I was a little girl we would occasionally visit Grandpa and Grandma at their farm in Menahga. They would have different animals on the farm - sheep, pigs, cows, chickens, it would vary. One thing we could always count on running around the farm yard were the cats. Every spring, the cat would have kittens and hide them in various places, one being a hole underneath the outdoor sauna building. My sister and I would try every trick to coax the kittens out so we could play with them. It wasn't so hard to coax them out, but what was hard was actually trying to catch them! We would be so very close to them and even touch them but as fast as they were, they would quickly wiggle out of our grasp and run back under the sauna to safety. I remember that feeling - a feeling of EXCITEMENT because I so badly wanted to play with the little kitten and also the feeling of FRUSTRATION because I would come so close but couldn't quite catch that cute little critter. Today, I had that same feeling while trying to catch my little toddler who was darting this way and that, just barely out of arms reach.
How did he get to be so FAST?!

Little Monkey

It's funny what food can do to a toddler. Food can make a toddler go from crabby to happy-happy! This was Nate's first banana - whole banana, that is. Usually, I cut it up for him but he wanted to eat his banana like Mommy. And he even gave "the Look" for me when asked ...

Rah Rah!

Give me an E! Give me two L's! Give me an A!

Auntie and Cousin Ella came over last week to say hello and to unload a basket of play food on the floor. Ella was especially cute today in her Gopher wear; of course, John loved this picture.
It was funny when Ella wanted to be in Gavin's Command Station. I think she fits in it a little better than he does!

Sunday's About Town

Sunday afternoon we went downtown. It's fun to walk around St. Anthony Main ...

Pumpkin Patch

Some pictures from the pumpkin patch taken the weekend before Halloween.

Boo at the Zoo

The day before Halloween I took the boys to the zoo to enjoy the Indian Summer-like day.
Nathan enjoyed the freedom he had to run around; it was not like a previous zoo adventure. The zoo was pretty quiet as they were in the process of winterizing all the exhibits. Here Nate is enjoying a game of stack-the-rocks:


Gavin is busy looking cute dressed as a giraffe for the occasion, an outfit he won at Alley's Halloween party.