Fall changes...

Well Hello Blog world!

It has been a very long time since my last post.  Every Sunday I have good intentions to post something new, and somehow get distracted.  It seems that fall is the time of year when life picks up speed toward the end of the year and before you know it we are into the holidays and starting a whole new year all over again.

So in September I started back to work, and Gabe started going to childcare.  We are so blessed to have fantastic friends!  Luckily I only have to be at work a few days in the week, and our friends the Volds, have a similar situation.  We worked it out so that we trade childcare.  Little Miss Hadley is 1 week older than our Gabriel and they are becoming the best of friends.  So they are together 4 days a week; 2 days at our house and 2 days at the Volds.  So far, it is working out great! 

It is so fun to see their little friendship forming!  They are so happy to see each other.  They play very well together, dance (Hadley's forte), chase each other (Gabe's favorite game), chatter and even try to pass things back and forth from their high chairs at lunch time.  It is really the best job ever!

Gabe has been learning all kinds of things.  He is crawling like a maniac, trying to talk and most recently, he has been taking his first steps.  He would prefer to hold your hands and go for a walk, but is perfectly able to walk on his own.  Every once in a while we trick him, and he keeps on walking all by himself.  His record so far is 5-6 steps alone.  I think that he just needs the right motivation.  One day, he will forget that he doesn't want to walk on his own and he will just go.  For now, we walk around the island in the kitchen a lot holding his hand.  I am sure that he will be walking on his own in no time.  He sure is stubborn and won't walk until he is good and ready.  I am not sure who he got that from... :)

Hiking in Montana August 2012

Hiking Aug 2012

Meet the great grandparents, California edition

Paul, Ryan's brother, was recently married and we were lucky enough to make the trip to California to attend and see the family.
Gabe did great on the flights, he was overdue to nap, but there was just too much going on in the airport for him to even allow his eyes to close. Once we were in the air he fell asleep almost instantly.  He slept almost the entire flight!  He did so well in all of our travels.

We went to Santa Barbara, Pismo Beach, Santa Maria, and Vista (San Diego).  Thanks to all of our family for the fun times!

The wedding was beautiful!  Congratulations to Mr & Mrs Paul Hendrickson!

Gabe and Dad waiting at the Airport in Calgary

Mommy and Gabe on the plane

Meeting Great Grandpa Monte

Distracting Grandma Debbie at the office

Grandpa Jed goofing around

At Great Grandma Betty's House

Tia Laura in Santa Maria at the Gonzalez new house

The newlyweds
Paul & Nicole Hendrickson

 

6 months old

Chilling with Great Grandpa (Opa) Williams

Jeff getting a taste of the Babe

Our Chauffeur

IHOP with Vu

Gabe Rolling Over

I set the camera on the end table when he wan't looking.  He won't do things if he knows you're trying to exploit him on film (or memory cards!)

Christmas Adventures

This year we spent Christmas with the Prince side of the family.  That's my parents and siblings.  We had all of the siblings together with all of the most important people in our lives there, with a few exceptions.  2 of my brothers are currently serving missions.  Brad is in Costa Rica and will be home about July 2012, and Jesse is in Oaxaca, Mexico, he will be returning May 2013.  We don't get to call them during the time that they are serving. We get letters every week, or at least most weeks, but there are only 2 times a year that we can phone and Christmas is one of them.  It was so nice to say hello and to hear their voices.  So fun to speak to them in spanish.  Gabe was mostly cooperative.  He even cooed on the phone with Jesse, but fell asleep before we got connected with Brad. It was such a great time to share in the celebration of Christ.

This year I had great ambitions to decorate and make Gabriel's first Christmas perfect, but somehow I ended up doing the exact opposite.  I really wanted to decorate early and have it all done before the end of November.  I was talking about decorating by mid Nov. and Ryan finally consented to let me go for it.  But the busy-ness had already started.  Chocolates. birthdays, baptism, pretzel dipping and all kinds of other fun family events got in the way.  Plus we ended up getting one lousy cold that lingered in the house for about a month.  Gabe still has a bit of a raspy throat at night.  Anyways, I didn't get it done early. 

Last year mom and dad wanted to get rid of an artificial tree.  Of coarse, I volunteered to inherit it.  So, we picked it up and put it away (we went to CA last year so we didn't set it up).  Finally, I found the time and I was super excited to put up the tree. So we went to the garage and found the tree stand, but the tree was nowhere to be found.  We pulled apart the basement and still no tree.  Maybe we never did bring it home?  So, I called mom.  Nope, no tree there.  So a whole day spent searching for a tree, with no tree to show for it in the end.  Oh well.

Next I wanted to make gingerbread.  I needed to boil the sugar and the molasses together.  I thought that my pot was big enough, but I found out the hard way, NO it was not, as the boiling volcano of molasses erupted all over my stovetop, down my over and onto the floors.  Wonderful!  

In the end, there was no tree, the gingerbread wasn't perfect and the only decorating that happened involved 3 stockings and a nativity set.  The lights stayed on the house all year, so I guess that counts too.

I have to admit that I really enjoyed having less fluff this year.  The nativity set was all that I really needed to remind me what it is that we are celebrating.  It is Christ.  His birth, His life, death and resurrection.  He is the reason for the season.  I hope that amongst all of the fluff, you could still find our Savior ad Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  I did.  This year I received the greatest gift, the gift of a little boy sent to me from above. I am so grateful for our little Angle Gabriel and I am excited for the adventures of 2012.

First time sitting on Santa's knee at the Medicine Hat Mall

 Christmas morning at Grandma & Grandpa Prince's house

Sitting like a big boy under the tree

 Already loving the paper more than the gifts!