goodbye "Gawan"

Colin has said Gavin as "Gawan" for as long as I remember him being able to say his brother's name. Yesterday, I noticed him really enunciating "GaVin," especially the v. Gav told me that he and Blake and Allison were helping Colin learn to say it correctly. As sweet as that it, it's always sad when one of the "baby" ways of saying something starts to fade away.

t-ball

Gavin played fall ball this year, and today was their tournament. It was a single elimination tournament, so once the team lost they were finished. Our game was at 9am, so it was nice outside for the boys to play. Warming up but still cool enough to be comfortable.

Gavin played catcher at first. He loves to play catcher and will request to do so whenever possible. It's the only infield position he played this season! He spends a lot of time in the outfield :)

I got video of Gavin at his first at-bat, and for some reason the video is horrible. Why my camera had to act up, I don't know, but you can see him hit even with the wonkiness. The video did show him running to first but that's not visible now.

I also got video of Gavin running to home during that same at-bat. Thankfully, that video turned out just fine!!

The game was neck and neck. There is a 5-run limit each inning, so after 4 innings the teams were tied 20-20. Sudden death in t-ball is interesting. Each team starts with a runner on 2nd base, and you play until there is an out. Switch and repeat. We fielded first, and the other team scored 3 runs before Gavin's team got one of them out at first base. Then we were up at bat, and one of Gavin's teammates had one of the most beautiful hits I've ever seen at one of his t-ball games. Somehow, it went directly to a member of the other team, who caught it! So there was their one out, with no points scored, meaning the other team won the game. Gavin's team was thus out of the tournament. (Don't tell Gavin, but I was so relieved - I don't think Colin had it in him to sit through another t-ball game!)

Here's the team, kids and coaches, posing with their banner after the game:

Gavin had a great time playing with these kids. They were a really good group. G is the youngest on the team at not yet 5, and the rest of them are 5 and 6. The boys took good care of him and were always great about including him. I'm not going to miss going to practice every week and going to games every Saturday, but I am going to miss how happy Gavin was whenever we went to t-ball and how much fun he had. He will soon be counting down until the spring season begins!

I love you, sweet boy

Our bedtime has a very standard routine, night after night. After we read a story in the bottom bunk together, Gavin climbs the ladder to the top bunk. I'll climb up, tuck him in, kiss and hug, then we share I love yous. Next comes Colin - he insists on being the last one tucked in - and we do the same thing. Tuck in, kiss and hug, and share I love yous.

I didn't realize I always said "Good night, sweet boy" until he came back at me with "Good night, sweet girl." It comes out more like "good night sweet gwiw" since his l's and r's are still w's, which is really even cuter. Last night I said "good night sweetheart" and he replied "good night sweetheart girl."

I love those boys so fiercely it hurts. In a good way.

dinosaurs!

Okay, really, how is one person so ridiculously talented? Gramma Joy has again created the most amazing Halloween costumes for the boys. We got a big box from UPS today and opened it after we got home. We unearthed 3 dinosaur costumes - a green one for Gavin, a blue one for Colin, and a pink and purple one for Nora (who is our adorable and awesome neighbor but who has not yet seen the cuteness that is her new dino costume). The boys HAD to put their dinosaurs on to try them out:

I took the boys into my bathroom to look in the full length mirror to get a peek of how they looked. Both of Gavin's hands shot to his mouth as he looked in awe at the sight before him. He was speechless. And grinning like crazy. Colin noticed that his dinosaur has wings, so he started running around, yelling "flap! flap!" Both boys commenced chasing each other, roaring, and trying to attack each other with their tails.

I made them take off the dino ensembles before dinner so they didn't get yucky and covered with food. Hopefully they are not yet completely covered in dog hair! I cannot WAIT for Halloween so they can show off their costumes!!