Chicken Fried Lord's Day...

Today was more of the same...beautiful weather, good food, and long walks!  Adam wanted to make the Cromwell signature dish for lunch...fried chicken nuggets with homemade mashed taters and green beans!  The meal is fit for a king and absolutely delicious but it takes HOURS to prepare. 

Headed to Wal-Mart for the groceries.

So Adam's thought is...if you're gonna go through the trouble of making it, make sure you have leftovers for the week!  He prepared enough chicken to feed 10-12 people easily and boiled over 20 potatoes...not exaggerating.

We all enjoyed playtime while Dad was cooking.  Gav is learning how to use those things on the end of his arms.

 Also, he is learning how to make a proper Man-Poop that gags Mom.

Fun in the January sun.

Gavin multi-tasking...watching TV, playing with a toy, and practicing sitting up.

Happy 31st Birthday Daddy!

Adam turned 31 today...and  he had a great birthday!  The weather was absolutely beautiful with the highs reaching almost 60 and not a cloud in the sky all day.  We started off the morning with some of Adam's famous eggs, toast, and OJ.  He takes such care in cooking the eggs to perfection and making sure the toast gets done right at the exact moment...he is a pro.  We will take some pictures of these eggs soon...believe me, it's impressive!

After breakfast and some lounging, we wanted to get outside and enjoy God's creation.  We also sprinkled in some house chores...shampooing the couch, raking the yard, and even a load of laundry.  In between the "work," we played!  Thanks to Kasey, Adam and I were able to head out on a motorcycle ride for the first time in at least a year.  He showed me his off rode skills, which I must say, have advanced a lot since the last time I rode with him.  I told Adam that being in the woods, on the trails, made me want to ride MY OWN motorcycle. I'm sure that statement alone will be all he needs to set up a ride on the TAT (transamerican trail) very soon.  After all, we already have my motorcycle (pics later).

For Adam's birthday, we decided to purchase a camera that would be able to take awesome pics of Gavin, Tobiah, and us.  So far, it has come through.

That afternoon, during Gav's long wake time, we decided to strap him into the Bjorn and take off on a long walk through trails, the neighborhood, and even found ourselves at the river.  This was the highlight of the day for ALL of us...even T-money! 



Tobiah's face pretty much sums up our day...we were pooped!

Oh Happy Days!

Gavin is now 15 weeks old and continues to grow both physically and mentally.  He barely fits into his 3-6 month clothes.  In fact, the 6 month onsies fit him perfectly, except for the length.  Based on Gavin's parents, I don't see this changing any time soon.  He is now smiling, sticking out his tongue, and mocking our facial expressions. He is "talking" all the time and even blesses us with an occasional spit bubble...

Gavin's milestones this week have been nothing short of miracles!  He loves hanging out with Mrs. Liz and Emma on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays.  What a blessing it is to find someone that you trust enough to leave your child with to love and nurture him.  He loves visiting Mrs. Liz so much that he prefers drinking from the bottle versus nursing, even though the substance is the same. Because of this, we decided to take him to  the doctor to make sure Gav wasn't losing weight.  He wasn't...our big boy weighed a whopping 14lbs!

The visit to the doctor turned into a small counseling session for mommy and daddy too.  The doctor assured us that because of Gavin's age and size, he was perfectly capable of sleeping at least 8-10 hours a night.  Up to this point, Gavin was still feeding around midnight and then again at 3 or 4 in the morning.  So Adam and I decided to initiate "baby boot camp" for a few days.  We were concerned about the lack of sleep Gavin was getting due to his napping issues and waking up in the night.  So we were fully prepared for a couple of rough nights in order to train G to sleep through the night.  Little did we know, he had the same idea! I feed him around 6:30-7:00 at night, with a dream feed at 10 or 11, and he sleeps until 7 the next morning.  Yes, that's a total of 12 hours with one feeding before our bedtime!  Gavin doesn't even make a peep.  So there was no need for boot camp after all. 

Thank you Lord for miracles of ALL SIZES!

Big Mama's Visit!

This week was special in many ways.  Big Momma (my mom) came to visit Gavin and watch him while I started back to work.  She and Gav did some serious bonding.  She even taught him how to stick out his tongue.  Right now Adam and I think it's cute...but I am sure in a couple of years when Gav is misbehaving and sticking his tongue out, we won't be so excited about it :).  Nonetheless that's what grand moms are for...

 Mom even got in on the bath time fun...everyone that visits has to see Gavin in the tub.  It is truly a blessing.  No matter how tired he is from the day, he never stops smiling in the tub!

The first three months of this little boy's life have been some of the most rewarding challenges we have ever faced.  We are amazed at how awesome God is and how great His love is for the Cromwell Clan...more adventures to come!

G's first Snow...

The news was calling for sleet and snow for New Bern and the surrounding areas.  Adam went into work early and barely made it to base before the roads became too bad to ride on so he hitched a ride home with Matt Beck.  We were able to enjoy almost the entire day together as a family.  We took Gavin out in the front yard and let him experience the snow as it fell on his face.

Gearing up in his new winter coat.

Wasn't a big fan of the cold air

But felt better in his daddy's arms

He kinda looks mad at us for doing this to him :)

When daddy's home it is hard to keep him inside.  I think he is Davey Crockett's cousin or something.  He LOVES to take the WHOLE family on walks through the woods.  Well today was no different...snow or no snow.  So we loaded up and headed out to the Croatan Forrest.  Gavin and I always go kicking and screaming but end up loving every moment of it. Tobiah, on the other hand, takes his excitement to a whole new level.  He is a hoot in the woods.  I think some of these pictures do a good job explaining how much fun he had...

It was a fun day!  We really enjoyed spending time outside as a family, despite my push-back at first.  I am quickly finding that I need to loosen up a little when it comes to sheltering my child...hopefully I will take my own advice and do that!







Recovering from vacation with a vacation at home...

Gavin turned 12 weeks this week!  He is smiling at us all the time.  His favorite things to do include play time on the mat and bath time.  Tobiah even got in on the play mat action.  Believe it or not, G also likes diaper changes.  Besides bath time, this is where we get the most smiles...maybe it's the silly songs we make up about his "fat rolls."

 Gavin is also beginning to sit still and look at pictures while we read to him.

He loves his new tractor book...

and daddy loves Gav's new tractor book :)

This week has been a good recovery week for our family.  Gavin is settling back in to his routine and sleeping in his crib.  Although naps have been quite the challenge, he has done great at night...even extending his time between feedings to over 6 hours!  Go Gavin!

Next week promises more changes...Dad AND Mom are both returning back to work :(!