February trip

at the Dayton airport, pre-takeoff

My Mom visited for a few weeks in January; then at the beginning of February we set off on a fun trip to visit family. We started in Albuquerque with my brother Bob's family. He and his wife Emily have 3 little boys, and Gavin loved spending time with his cousins Dean, Isaac and Ellis.

three little men in a tub
Gavin is exactly between Dean and Isaac in age--all are 2.

tired, but chunky and adorable, Ellis

We also visited my grandparents in southern Utah, which was fun. They loved having Gavin in their house, and I loved seeing my grandparents interact with him.

Gavin's sitting in the 100-year-old high chair. 

He began wearing these undies
at great-Grandma and great-Grandpa's house.
And he never stopped playing with these tracks
the entire time we were there. 

Then we visited my older brother Mike's family in Wyoming. He and his wife Melissa just had a baby girl, Eleanor (aka Nora Lu). My Dad also met us for this leg of the trip, and it was fantastic to see him.

Isn't she beautiful?!

maybe my favorite picture from the trip...
Grandma and Gavin watching a movie while Grandpa sleeps nearby

While in Laramie we enjoyed the University of Wyoming Geological Museum. Newly renovated, the museum is small but worthwhile. We loved the (mostly dinosaur-related) exhibits.

He's saying "PENGUINS" (I promise).

Gavin recently acquired the movie Happy Feet, a story about some penguins. And he's obsessed. He never stops asking me if he can watch it, but his pronunciation is about the funniest thing I've ever heard. Just check out the below video.

(WARNING to those who might be offended at the mention of male body parts: you might give this a skip. 

Or just lighten up.)

Our house

We're so grateful our 3 months of living out of suitcases in hotels has ended, and we have a great house! To be honest, I'm not very committed to continuing the blog now that we don't have fun trips every month. But here's a post about our house, and who knows what the future holds for the blog.

In the backyard is this great play area + sandbox, which Gavin has enjoyed (on days it's warm and dry enough). There's also a park just a few houses away, which Gavin can navigate to without help.

in his sandbox 

Jacob is a rock-star homeowner who has already made several substantial home improvements. He's painted lots of the house so far, and Gavin's room was the biggest chore because it was the only one that wasn't already neutral.

before: sky blue with a PINK closet

This photo serves as before and after--the new color is to the left of Jacob.

Part of the fun of having a new house is getting a few new things--
we LOVE our mango-wood dining room table.

When the movers brought our things, they dumped the contents of each box so they could haul the boxes away. So here's a before and after of our master closet, probably the most impressive 'room' in the house. (Gavin is in the 'before' shot--colorful PJs...wearing a headband.)

I'm a big fan of the master bathroom; it's very spacious.

We bought the house with the basement completely unfinished. Since the day we moved in we've had contractors here finishing part of the basement with a family room, a full bathroom and a guest room. So if you come to Ohio to stay with us (I know, it's not at all as appealing as England!), we assure you we'll have a place for you to sleep. Soon.

We've met our neighbors, and everyone seems nice. We're looking forward to warmer weather when kids are out playing. And the neighborhood pool is open.