Tractors

For any of you that don't know Paul and I have purchased our first tractor! We are having a ball with it and it is just a little tiny one. We have been digging, tilling and mowing maniacs (mainly Paul and the boys). They love riding with him and he loves giving them the ride. So that works out.
We had a lot of fun making Mother's day cards for Nana and Grandma. Aden and Andrew did some very fine finger painting.

Then we took these pictures to put on the front.

Aren't they a couple of cheeseballs! They are really digging their trikes and Daddy bought them each toy tractors that are a hit too.

Big Boy Haircuts and More

Hi all,

Well I broke down and let the boys get haircuts. They are big boys now for sure! They are both busy and very curious little guys. Yesterday we met Aunt Judy at the zoo. The animals are much more interesting now and the geese were a huge hit. Aden got a real kick from chasing one and making him fly. Both guys are starting to talk more all the time. Aden likes to say 'drive truck' and Andrew's favorite phrase is 'shoot ball'. Anytime we see a truck, tractor or heavy equipment Aden starts the motor noise and anytime there is anything like a ball or basket, Andrew says 'shoot' and 'ball'. Andrew says lots of words: chair, teeth, eye, keys, ear, up, eat, cheese, shoe just to name a few. Aden says a few of these, but is more into physical communication. He likes to grab our hands and put it on the toy or button like he wants and brings us things all the time. He also has learned to take us by the hand and lead us where he wants. They definitely have little minds of their own.

Bath time grins- they have to be contained to take a photo together.

Playing on the counter top this morning.

Aden at the zoo- Andrew is in the background.

Andrew- 'all gone'.

Pooped out after a day at the zoo.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Happy Easter

Well Easter came and went in a flash. I tried to get some cute Eastery pictures, but this is the best I could do. I am going to have to tie them together to get a good shot of them at the same time.

The boys are very busy. They love to color, play with bubbles and balloons, take baths, play ball and do anything outside. Andrew is getting better and better at walking and Aden almost breaks into a run occasionally. We are sort of working on going to the potty, but I am not sure if I am ready to really tackle that yet. Aden is ready is some ways, but still doesn't care if his diaper is soaking wet. All in good time. We had our 18 month check-up and shots last week. Andrew is still the undefeated heavy-weight weighing in one ounce shy of 29 lbs. Aden is almost 25 lbs. They are in a dead heat in height at 34". They are champs at the doctor and were done crying about their shots before we were checked out at the doctor's office.

Aden doing his KISS impersonation. Clearly the 'with make-up' version.

They love their cousins so much and always have a ton of fun when they are together.

'Pa is definitely on Andrew's short list of favorite people.

Hope everyone is doing well. We are enjoying the spring weather and we are so thankful for our big boys.

Happy Walking

I wanted a quick video of Andrew walking, but Aden was doing this litte funny tap dance. I hope he didn't steal Andrew's thunder! Andrew is improving rapidly.

Here they are opening their Easter baskets from Nana.




They loved the little cars and dinosaurs. They also like to take the eggs apart and put them back together again. Oh- and throw them across the room too! We are practicing our Easter egg hunting daily and hope to be ready for Sunday.

Just a few pictures from the GREAT outdoors!

I am so sad that this picture came out blurry- it is SO HARD to get a cute picture of them looking at me together- I will keep working on it.




Aden and Andrew positively love going outside. We are working to make it a safe and relatively mud-free environment. It is slow-going!

Tonight was beautiful and here are some shots of the guys doing a few of their favorite things- tasting rocks,poking rocks into holes, and running the opposite way when Mama calls.

Time for some Walking

I have been promising an update for so long now that I am embarrassed! Aden is a full-fledged toddler now and Bubba is not far behind. Andrew can take up to 6 or 7 steps, but only does so when the mood strikes him.

Here is an early video of Aden- I was trying to take a picture of him so the camera angle was wrong for video- but after some great advice from Lisa I was able to rotate it so now I have to share.



Poor guy- I had to stop the camera 'cause his joy turned to pain.

Here is Andrew showing off one of his many tricks.




And one more of Aden showing what a pro he is.




We are doing great and working on the house a lot lately. We are so thankful that we have been healthy. I really don't like it when the boys don't feel well.

Here are a few house pics as well.
The Shower

The Kitchenette

The Doors


We hope you all are doing great and hopefully we can get this house project under control so I can update a little more often!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! We had a busy and fun holiday season and hope you all did too. We went to visit Santa Claus to ask for something for Christmas.


They got what they wanted: Off of Santa's lap!

We went to Oklahoma to see Grandma and Grandpa Newton and then drove to Michigan to see Nanna, and all of our Aunts, Uncles, cousins and friends up there. We had a really nice time. Up until we all got sick- bah! We are finally getting well. Aden had pneumonia and ear infections and Andrew had an ear infection too. They both still have a bit of a cough. But we are a lot better now!

Aden is still not walking much- we try to bribe him, but he definitely has a mind of his own. Andrew sometimes stands up on his own. We are sure he won't be far behind once Aden really takes off. Andrew loves music and singing songs. He has a few hand motions down and likes to show off. He is a football loving fool. He brings me the remote and asks for 'ball'. I love it. They both love books and bring them to Mom and Dad to read all the time.

They are very good boys and a lot of fun to be with. Here's a quick video of the two of them being very sweet.

Early Christmas Present

We are obviously having a lot of fun with this!

Walking tall

Well Aden has decided he can walk. We still have not managed to catch the little bugger on video doing it though. We will keep trying. In the meantime here are a few pics.





Here's a couple of pictures from Halloween I found on the disk too. Only a month late!



Hope everyone is doing great!

No better playhouse

Than the cabinets! These monkeys love to get in the cabinet and play. Other than the vampire treatment they give each other it works out great.






I think those smiles say it all.

Here is a quick video of the monkeys.



Also thanks to Aunt Judy we had our first trip to the zoo. The boys really enjoyed it until they got tired- then it was time to go - NOW! They are not becoming demanding at all (-:

Wild Zebras!

Aden and Andrew love their toys they got for their birthday!
Aden often likes to go for a ride first thing in the morning. Good choice, Grace!

Here's a couple of pictures I took of the two of them together tonight.





Yeah, they are pretty cute.

Quickie...

Just a quickie post of a couple of pictures of the boys.
They found a deck of cards yesterday and were playing Texas Hold'Em I'm pretty sure.



After that they figured out that a box by a counter is pretty much an invitation to see what's up higher. Mom learned her lesson on that one.


I don't think much anything is going to be safe around here much longer. Still no walking... but soon- I'm sure of it!

Take care-
Hugs and Kisses!
Aden and Andrew

Happy 1st Birthday Boys!

Well, we did it! We kept the babies alive a whole year! Thanks to everyone who came up and celebrated their birthday with us. Special thanks to Nanna, Peg and Grace for making that long drive and bringing their special cakes and presents from Michigan. We really enjoyed it!



What fun we have had this year and the guys have grown so much. Aden born at 6 lbs 8 oz 19" long is now 23 lbs and 33". Andrew started at 7 lbs 3 oz and is now 26 lbs and 33". It is amazing how much they have changed. We still don't have any walkers, but both boys pull up on everything and 'talk' a little.



They play really well with each other until they both want the same thing- then the biting is on! Andrew is really good at stacking and putting the rings on the stick. Aden is a regular monkey and will climb anything he can get his feet on. They both love music and playing with Mom and Dad.



We are making progress on the house remodel, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa! Andrew and Aden were their guests for about a week while we did demolition on the basement.


The fun has really begun for us now. Everything that needed to go out of the basement is pretty well gone and now it is time to start putting stuff back. We will keep you posted!

What we've been up to!

Well, what a busy 6 weeks the Gablis have had! We first went to Oklahoma to enjoy a family and a class reunion. They were both quite fun! We returned to Washington and Paul accepted a position in Wichita, KS. So we quickly readied our house to put on the market as we packed for our cruise to Alaska. The cruise was fantastic! So wonderful to walk down the hall to have dinner and not worry about cooking it or cleaning up a thing! Thanks so much Mom and Dad- we really enjoyed it. And of course Alaska is beautiful. We got back to Washington and finished packing and started the 3 day drive to Oklahoma. We stayed with Mom and Dad for a few days, then Paul came up to Wichita to start work.

Andrew, Aden and I stayed another week in Oklahoma to help prepare for Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary reception, party, and the Labor Day parade. All very fun and exciting. So now Aden, Andrew and I are hanging out in our hotel room while Paul is working. We are also still in process of selling our houses in Washington and Oklahoma and trying to buy a house here in Kansas. Wish we had something going on! So I will try to get back to posting more frequently when things (hopefully soon) settle down!

Here are some pics of Aden and Andrew today playing on the luggage like a jungle gym.

Busy Boys

Hi All,

Well I kicked rear in June and now July... well, not so much.
Here is the quick update on the guys.
Aden now stands on his own for very short periods of time and only when he's not thinking about it. Andrew gets up on his knees, but hasn't made the move to pull up to a stand yet. Aden is up to 6 teeth and Andrew is holding steady at 4. They love to play and talk to each other and are the cutest little gang crawling around and finding everything that is reach and they shouldn't have. Those things are clearly the most fun to play with. Nevermind the gazillion toys they have lying around here!

Last week we had a special visitor and as soon as I locate the media card I will share some pictures of her- a human jungle gym!