The Zoo

This morning Tony, Gavin and I had a wonderful visit to the Hogle Zoo. The weather was perfect (about 82 degrees) and we got there before the zoo got too crowded. Gavin loves animals. He has little animal figurines that he plays with every day. So it was really fun for us to see how excited he became to see the animals in real life. His favorites were the elephants, giraffes and zebras. Gavin also loves trains so he was very excited to ride the little train around the zoo. He cried when we had to get off. We got Gavin a few new animals to add to his collection. Check out the photo of him pretending to feed his bear a cracker.

Fire Station 6

Today, Gavin and I visited Tony at the fire station. Gavin was fascinated by the fire engine. We all got inside the engine and examined the equipment. Gavin liked the computer in the front seat that they use for GPS and stuff. He did not want to try on Daddy's big, scary boots. I tried to get Tony to slide down the pole for Gavin, but he wasn't interested. Maybe next time.

My Favorite Things

My current favorite jeans are my True Religion Brand jeans. The style is "Johny". What makes these jeans so unique is the embroidery on the left seat and thigh. There is a fairy sitting on a flower with butterflies and stars. I get so many compliments on these jeans. Everyone always asks me where I got them. I actually got them from Nordstrom Rack for under half of the original price. I couldn't even find a photo of my special jeans on the web to download (the photo above shows the same jeans without the embroidery).

Something I couldn't live without (or wouldn't want to live without), are my Juicy Couture velour sweatsuits. I've been buying and replacing them for the past 4 years. During my pregnancy I stretched out and ruined a pair of my favorite light blue juicy velour sweatpants. I then purchased a new pair in a larger size (now in my pregnancy clothes box). I believe Juicy just come out with a whole maternity line (it's about time). Anyhow, these particular sweatsuits are a must have because they are probably the most comfortable things you will ever wear and they fit really well and they are the best looking/sexiest sweatsuits in existence (in my opinion). For me, it's worth the splurge (they run about $150 and up). You can find them at Nordstrom, JMR, and Lolla Bella Boutique.

I love my IPod nano! It's a necessity when I work out at the gym. It's also great for traveling. I've got a playlist on it for every mood. My "workout mix" pumps me up so I can have a great workout.

Gavin's Creation

Gavin loves playing with blocks. Sometimes he stacks them and builds things and sometimes he just likes to place them, spread out, in very particular positions. Yesterday I managed to catch a photo of him displaying one of his creations.

Rowdy & Rocco

We have two dogs, Rocco and Rowdy.

Rowdy is a Brittany Spaniel and he will be 4 in August. We kind of think of him as Tony's dog because he was chosen for his pure bred lineage and history of great bird hunting dogs. He's lucky enough to join Tony on many hunting expeditions. Rowdy's job is to point at the birds hiding in the brush and then to flush the birds out of the brush so that Tony can shoot them. Aside from hunting birds, Rowdy's favorite pastime is fetching balls. In fact, he is obsessed with it. Rowdy prefers to stay clear of Gavin, which is smart on his part because Gavin loves to hit him, throw toys at him, lay on him, and try to ride on his back.

Rocco is a Pomeranian and he will be 3 in May (his birthday is the day before Gavin's). Rocco is basically Gavin's favorite toy. He will put up with anything from hair pulling to being treated like a big furry pillow. Rocco has two nicknames: "the Ruiner" and the "Giant Pomeranian" (both names given to him courtesy of Tony). Rocco is "the Ruiner" because he always ruins the game of fetch. He steals the ball and does not return it. It drives Rowdy crazy. He is called "the Giant Pomeranian" because he is a larger breed Pomeranian and his physical therapist once told us he shouldn't weigh more than 12-13 pounds. He weighs 15 or 16 lbs.

Favorite Baby Things

I love the Pottery Barn A-Z vinyl place mat (on the right side of the photo). It protects our new dining room table from Gavin's creative eating habits and it's educational and entertaining all in one. He loves to look at the letters and the fun pictures that begin with each letter (he is especially partial to the helicopter picture). I love that it's easy to wipe clean. I think they are on sale at PB right now.

During a trip to Pottery Barn Kids I picked up some bath crayons. Gavin and I love drawing things on the wall during his bath. The great thing is that everything can be washed off pretty easily with a little bathroom cleaner and a sponge. I have a feeling that Crayola must make a similar product, so I will be keeping my eye out for that.

Gavin loves his Crest Spinbrush Fire truck toothbrush. And I love it too because now, instead of just sucking the toothpaste off the toothbrush, he actually brushes his teeth. He likes to turn it on and feel the spinning brush on his teeth. And, since it is a fire truck toothbrush, it has flashing lights on the top of the fire truck. Pretty cool. I want one too.

I just bought these cool Vans for Gavin. They are called "Big School" for toddlers. You can find them in lots of different colors/patterns for girls or boys. I was attracted to this "space print" pattern because Gavin is very interested in the sky lately. They are really soft and flexible; plus, they fit his fat (I mean wide) feet really well.

These pacifiers make great baby gifts. You can choose from silly expressions or you can personalize them with a name. I purchased "Flirt" for Gavin and I've given several "Mute Button" binkies out as gifts. The web site is http://www.itsmybinky.com/

I highly recommend Icky Baby splat mats. We have gotten lots of use out of Gavin's. They are great for placing under chairs/highchairs to catch all the food that falls (or is thrown) on the ground. They're vinyl, which makes them easy to wipe down and they come in tons of fun colors and patterns. Gavin's is called "giddy up" and is a cowboy theme. I am also learning that these mats are great for play dough or coloring time. You can purchase them from http://www.laylagrayce.com/

Gavin has a ton of baby blankets, but his "Little Giraffe" chenille blanket is our all time favorite! It's the softest blanket I think I've ever felt and it doesn't lose it's shape or softness after washing. These blankets come in rich colors like beige, army green and dark blue (Gavin's is slate, which is a dark blue shade). They aren't cheap (about $50 or $60), but they would make a very luxurious baby gift. Luckily, I received Gavin's as a gift. My sister's Internet company sells them... http://www.laylagrayce.com/

My mom got Gavin a wonderful book and cd. It's called "Music for Calm Babies" and it's a great little board book with beautiful illustrations. The book comes with a cd that I love! The cd has soothing classical music from artists such as Beethoven, Pachelbel, Bach, Mozart, etc. Pachelbel's Canon in D brings tears to my eyes because it was played at our wedding. Anyhow, I have several great lullaby and toddler time cds, but this is definitely my favorite. I plan on making a copy so I can play it in my classroom too. You can order it from http://www.pilbooks.com I would also recommend Baby Einstein - Lullaby Classics.

Many of my favorite things are from my sister, Tiffany's, website. Her website is http://www.laylagrayce.com/ The website has beautiful, stylish, upscale things for the home, women and children. Some of my favorite clothes (for me and Gavin) come from laylagrayce. Not to mention all of my favorite baby gear... diaper bag, blankets, personalized bibs, etc.

Spring Break in California

Last week Gavin and I went to California to visit family and friends for my spring break (Tony had to work & get in his last days of skiing). We spent most of our time with my parents in Ventura shopping and playing at the beach. We also ventured down south to Huntington Beach to visit my friend Cyndi. I miss the beach so much! I always enjoy getting my exercise by walking or running along the boardwalk that runs along the beach; listening to the surf and watching the surfers catching waves as the sun shines down on the ocean reflecting off the water. That's a little piece of heaven for me. Gavin loves the beach too. He enjoyed finding sticks in the sand. Then, as he ventured closer to the ocean, he discovered all the pebbles and he remembered how much he loves to throw them in the water. He could probably do that for hours. I had to really keep my eye on him because he's fearless around the water, impervious to the cold, and he'll run right into the waves.

My Little Family

I thought I would give everyone a quick update on my little family. Here is our most recent family photo taken right before Christmas. Tony is a fire captain at station 6 in Salt Lake City. I'm teaching half day kindergarten at Emerson (in the Sugarhouse area of Salt Lake). And our little Gavin is growing very fast. He will be 23 months old tomorrow and he will be 2 on May 16th!