The Smith boys. Too cute for words. 

Labor Day Weekend

We had a great holiday weekend -- a good combination of seeing family and friends and enjoying some family time at home, too. The weekend started off with pampering -- manicures and pedicures for the bridal party (of which I was a member) for my cousin Melanie's wedding.

That was followed by the rehearsal dinner, served family-style at an Italian restaurant. The Iverson and Pavolonis clans gorged themselves on spaghetti and meatballs, filet mignon and chicken marsala. Then the dessert came, yikes! We brought Gavin along and he enjoyed seeing family and staying up way past his bedtime.

Saturday brought the wedding day and we had a great time celebrating with Mel and Mike and seeing cousins who live out of state: Nick from Virginia, Emily from Kansas City, Jodi from Vegas and Ryan and Angie from Indianapolis. It's not too often we're all in the same place any more, so it was a lot of fun to catch up and dance the polka together.

We spent the rest of the weekend hanging out with Heather, Rick and the girls, including some back to school shopping with Anna that made me nostalgic for the days when we used to shop at Prange's and get our cords and sweaters even thought it was still 80 degrees outside!

First time on the swings! 

6 months old!

Can it be? Where has the time gone? I was never more aware of how quickly Gavin is growing and changing then when I walked in the door today from a couple days away for a camping trip with some girlfriends. There he was with that same big grin and dimple, but I swear he grew in that 48 hours and became even more of who he is.

Futbol!

Gavin enjoyed a night out at the soccer field to watch his Daddy play --- he decided he better suit up, too, but his skills were not needed this time. His "kit" is from Mimi and Grandad, purchased during their May trip to Scotland so Gavin could match Don's Celtics uniform.

Blissful first taste of carrots... or what Gavin would look like with a goatee. 

All smiles on Wednesday afternoon...

Gavin and I drove out to visit with his Great Grandpa and Great Grandma this afternoon. He had a great time seeing them and hearing about all of their latest adventures. Here's hoping he takes after them in wanting to see the world, dance as much as possible and make lots of new friends!

Gavin checking out the new carousel at the Henry Vilas Zoo 

Just another manic Monday! 

Gavin's first tooth

Look closely. There it is, on the bottom... our baby is growing up way too fast!!!

Who cares about the kitchen ... I'm way cute!

Gavin is about 5 1/2 months now and is having a rough week (though I realize you can't tell from this photo). Teething to be exact. One little tooth has emerged from his bottom gums and if the experts are to be believed then the one next to it is not far beyond. That may explain the 20-minute session of writhing in pain yesterday evening... We have several teeth to go -- hopefully they won't all be so difficult for him!

Final kitchen picture 

Before and After

Since today was the first day in what feels like weeks that we could shut the AC off and open the windows, I decided ... why not paint the kitchen? Our kitchen has been dark blue since we moved, but we decided it was time to lighten things up and match up the walls with the rest of the dining and living areas. I got started on the priming while Gavin napped and then roped Don into the rest of the project when he got home from work. We are leaving the tape up until we're sure there's no blue showing through (will need daylight to check that), but not bad for a day's work! Now we just need to do the dishes...

"I love to swim!" 

It's hot outside, but Gavin is staying cool

Heather gave Gavin this onsie a couple months ago and although it's still a little big, I couldn't resist putting it on him today. It's adorable for a baby, but let's hope 20 years from now he's not wearing t-shirts with these kinds of messages (or worse!) on them.

5 months old!

We may not have peace in much of the world today, but we can call the detente between dog and baby a small victory. Gavin used his new-found ability to reach and grasp to pet Keely on the nose yesterday. She responded by licking his fingers and then walking away.

Celebrating 3 years!

We spent a few days in Door County this week to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Time flies when you are having fun! We got some much-needed sleep while my parents watched Gavin for us, ate way too much good food and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. It was the recipe for a perfect trip!

Naps. They're a good thing.

Mmmmmmmm

Gavin had his first taste of solid food this week. That means rice cereal. Ever had it? I haven't tried it. Does that make me a bad mom? It looks like you could make a pinata with it so I haven't been tempted.
The first couple tries, Gavin looked at the spoon like he had no idea what we were trying to get him to do. By the fourth and fifth nights (which was last night), he was opening his mouth wide and asking for more. It can't taste that bad, right?

Family weekend

We hosted Don's brother Chris and his fiance Kathy this weekend, who visited us from the D.C. area. We had a great time hanging out on the terrace of the new Madison Museum of Contemporary Art on Friday night, where we ate at the new restaurant up there (called Fresco) and enjoyed the view of downtown Madison. The first shot is what happens when you ask a member of a bachelorette party to take your picture!

When in doubt, wear your fairy wings

I recently took in the movie "The Devil Wears Prada," and it got me to thinking about fashion (and my lack thereof lately). Ultimately, I have decided it is most important to wear what makes you feel good and puts a smile on your face. This may not happen everyday, especially when you've got a baby in the house, but in those moments that it happens, it's something to be happy about. Exhibit A: my niece Caroline stepping out on Michigan Avenue during a recent family vacation to Chicago.

Four months old!

Gavin was baptized this weekend and also enjoyed a visit with Mimi and Grandad as well as Aunt Heather (his godmother), Uncle Rick and cousins Anna and Caroline. Our good friend Jerry (the godfather) also joined in the festivities Sunday.








We underwent major preparations to try and ensure Gavin would be in the best mood possible when he appeared before the whole church: getting up at 6 a.m. to try and make sure he could eat and nap and take care of business BEFORE putting on his pristine white outfit (which we decided was akin to what tennis players wore at Wimbledon in the 1920s). At any rate, it was a rough morning waking a sleeping baby (something you should never do), getting him fed, having him make a mess on Don and waking him up a second time from a brief nap. By the time we got to the church for the 9:30 service, we were about cashed in. Luckily, the baptism was early on and when we got up to the front, Gavin was in a good mood and when the pastor declared him baptized a huge grin spread across his face for all to see. The congregation did a collective "awww!" and I nearly bust into tears from happiness and exhaustion.

Best. Ice cream. Ever.

There are moments in life where some things taste sooooo good you have to "take a break" to appreciate them. Case in point: Haagen Dazs Mayan Chocolate ice cream. Words cannot describe how good it is. The Web site is pretentious and sort of hilarious with how seriously it takes this new ice cream flavor, i.e. "We went back and unearthed the ancient origins of chocolate just so we could bring it to you." Check it out and for the love of god, buy the ice cream!!!
http://www.mayanchocolateicecream.com

First Father's Day

Gavin gave the best present ever when he let both mom and dad sleep in until 8:30 a.m. (yahoo!). He spent the rest of the day showing off his new shirt and discovering his own feet for the first time.

The Fever is clearly catching!

Devastated By U.S. World Cup Team's First-Round Loss,
Nation Grinds To Halt
June 15, 2006
NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, and WASHINGTON, DC—With the Dow Jones average down over 600 points, factory productivity in a downward spiral, and workplace attendance down by nearly a third, experts say the U.S. World Cup team's heartbreaking 3-0 defeat at the hands of Czech Republic on Monday has brought life across the soccer-crazed nation to a virtual standstill.
"What happened in Gelsenkirchen has indeed dealt a grievous blow to the morale of the American people," said President Bush, who had promised his constituency a swift and speedy victory in the World Cup this year and whose popularity has taken a 9 percent hit since the U.S. team's loss. "I want the citizens of this great nation, the world's only remaining superpower, to know that I grieve alongside them and urge them to be strong in our hour of darkness, and urge them to return to their jobs and schools despite their heavy hearts."
continued at http://www.theonion.com/content/node/49524

World Cup Fever

Who's got it? We do! OK, at least Don does and the rest of us are along for the ride. We hit Hawk's Bar (Madison's official World Cup Headquarters) on Monday morning, to watch the first U.S. game of the tournament. We had a great time hanging with other soccer fans and I loved the spectacle of it all.

We also enjoyed visiting with Hawk as well as friends who were there: Sean, his dad Mr. O'Brien, Polly and Dan (who said he was glad his boss works 2 buildings away and didn't know he was watching the game instead of working). The U.S. sadly lost 3-0 to the Czech Republic, but have the chance to rebound Saturday against Italy.

Cute cousins

We spent the weekend and part of this week in Minneapolis visiting Jenny's sister Heather and her family. Gavin got to spend some quality time with his two cousins, Anna (6) and Caroline (3). Anna delighted in singing to Gavin, making funny faces and anything else she could think of to get him to laugh. As Heather said, she's on track to becoming his favorite babysitter a few years down the road : )