Moving Rock

With all of my spare time (yea right) I have undertaken a LARGE task...

of moving all this rock:

out here (or at least as much as will fit out here).

Thank goodness I have such good help!

At this rate we'll be done by the time he graduates from college. With his PhD.

What a good little rock mover. If only he would've been one of a triplet this would be going three times faster!

Any suggestions on how to expedite this project are welcome!

It's been awhile

I get lots of hugs from my mom.

This time I got one because I was sad. Really sad.

Then Grandma came to visit & I was REALLY happy!

I showed her how naughty I can be when mom changes my diaper.

Then I showed Grandpa how to pull a wagon.

Then I posed with Granpda for this dandy picture. They always say something about I never hold still and it's hard to take pictures? Whatever, they just need to be faster with the camera.

BRUISER!!!

I'm sure we've been the talk of the church since it looks like we beat our child....

Gabe face planted on our VERY hard floor Friday night and had a bloody nose and lots of tears!

Here's what it looked like on Saturday morning.... (It looks even worse today but I don't have a pic.)

I think his dad felt bad for him so he let him drink lots of pop.

Just kidding, only Aaron & I drink lots of pop.

Just like my mom & dad

Gabe picked up my head lamp and tried to put it on his head... I didn't know that he had ever seen us use a head lamp. Thats my smart little boy!

What the heck?? I can see the floor so much better now....

OK, get this thing off... Don't people realize how DORKY they look with these things on?

Right now, it's about me.

That title probably turned most people off from reading this post. I know I know - I'm not nearly as exciting to read about or look at as Gabriel.

I thought a little explanation was in order for the lack of frequent posting... You see I have been working full-time (or more) for about a month. The difference in "free" time is significant..... I don't think I've even taken a picture of Gabriel for over a week.

Since we left St. Louis and moved to Iowa I have turned to the retail world of pharmacy. Not necessarily by choice - the nearest hospital jobs are in Ames (100 miles) or Spencer (not sure how far, but too far). In spite of my reluctance to turn to retail it has been surprisingly fulfilling. It is not challenging and I miss the professional atmosphere of the hospital but I can do this thing for as long as is necessary.

What, you say, is fulfilling? Mostly the relationships but also it's the service. I love that pharmacy can be a service profession (if you want it to be) and I love to do just that - serve the community. Helping people, making them smile, putting up with the absolute WORST people, dealing with narcotic seekers, comforting family members and praying for our sickest.

I can't tell you how many dead, dying, deathly ill people I saw in the hospital on a daily basis and rarely did I shed a tear or choke up. Now in retail I am dealing with my first customer that is nearing death and I can hardly look his daughter in the eye or talk to his wife on the phone without tearing up.

OK, I'm getting depressed - time to switch subjects.....

The rest of my time involves my son and my husband and his job. Aaron's job has been taking up much (most) of his time lately. He does a great job balancing things and dealing with everything. We try to enjoy the little time we have together as a family.

Tonight I grilled some chicken breasts and asparagus in our atrium. We enjoyed dinner together (at 8pm after Aaron got home from church) out in the atrium while Gabe played around and watched the dogs. It was a nice time together.... The weather is improving and I think it lightens everyones mood.

I'm running out of things to write -- anyways I appreciate all of you who read our blog and keep up with our lives. A big thank-you to those of you out there who keep your own blogs going so I can keep tabs on you. One of my favorite times of the day is checking my friends' blog to see who has made some updates --

Keep checking back -- I'll only be working full time until mid-May (I think) so I should get better about posting again real soon.

All Boy

My little boy demonstrates his crazy side....

Visitors!

Gabe's Grandma & Grandpa Flatau & Uncle Mike came to visit this weekend.

They had lots of fun playing with Gabe.

Feeding him treats....

Uncle Mike even made a huge batch of his famous monster cookies...

All evening Gabe kept coming over to the table where I was working on my bible study.... He would reach up and say "ca, ca, ca" -- meaning cookie. I finally had to put them away and say no more cookies tonight!

Easter Treat

This afternoon Gabriel had his first taste of Easter candy. He had a jellybean and then his very own Cadbury Egg!

I think it's pretty clear that he enjoyed the treat.

Don't worry, I fed him a banana before this to, you know, balance it out.

Latests Tricks --

Gabe's latest skills include climbing! He likes to climb in his chairs -- it's turning around to sit down that is difficult - not to mention boring!

Oh wait, he did sit with the "easter bunny" for a second.

I like to call this.... being dangerous

Gabe has also been contributing his own "coins" to the family collection.

YUMMY!!

Extreme Flashback

So it seems whenever someone I know has a new baby I have to take a look back.

Here is some footage of Gabe when he was 10 days old!

For all you Grandmas Out There!!!!

To protect this little one....

We bought some fireplace screens.

Aren't you glad you don't have to worry anymore??

And yes Mom, they are pretty sturdy and yes there is a slight chance that he can get in through that crack in the middle. But don't worry-- we take good care of him and watch him real close!!!!

Mom's Purse!

My beloved son loves to dig in my purse.

The other morning things were a little TOO quiet......

upon investigation I discovered why....

my little sweetie was busy seeing what sort of plastic was in my wallet!

If you click on this photo to enlarge it you should be able to read my lovely labeling of the various, somewhat important things pictured here.

My Furry Friends

JIMI

SADIE

Playful Pointers.....

ROWDY

MACI

The Natural Progression of Things

Smiling and Being Silly

Screaming and Getting Mad

Feeling Sleepy

Starting to Nod Off

And He's Asleep

Grandpa Flatau's Little Twin?

I don't think this post needs much explaining... Just read the title and look at the pictures.

My New Camera

On sound advice from my professional photographer/uncle Bill we got a new camera (for all you photogs out there it's a used Nikon D70 outfit). Actually it was my birthday present from Aaron.

But it does just what I wanted it to.... Clear, sharp, focused images of a higher quality than your typical point-n-shoot.

If you look close enough the piece of cat hair stuck to Gabe's chin is even in focus. Nice!

Love the duck!

Gabe has been enjoying all of his toys since he's been back home. Especially this duck!