The Many (at least a few) Faces of Gage

You probably already know this, but I am madly in love with three people. Today, however, is all about Gage. I'll save the lovey dovey Jack + Kim love story for another day because really, who needs that on a Saturday morning? And Max's birthday is coming up and he'll have his own special post before long.

But Gage. G-Mac. A kid who I referred to as "Little Man" for a really long time until recently when I was reprimanded and corrected because he is a "Big Man". The kid who hates sleep so much, last night he had nightmares about sleeping. (No lie - you can't make this stuff up.) He is a rockstar. Gage launched us into parenting and basically swept the unvacuumed rug right out from under our feet. No book, no video, no class, nothing could have prepared us for Gage. Think you've figured him out? He's ready to throw a wrench at you. (He's only ever thrown a real wrench at me once. Twice at the dog. But never at the babysitter.)

Though challenging at best, he shows us everyday what its like to go full speed ahead from dawn until dusk. And then some. His zest for life is unbelievable.

Let me show you a few faces of Gage.

He likes to control the "clicker" - the remote for the camera. Hey, whatever works to get me a face like this one. Need a recipe to melt a mother's heart? See below.

Here Gage, hold this up in front of you. :) He followed the directions exactly. The trouble with his listening skills is that I tend to (from time to time) be a little teeny tiny bit sarcastic. It will definitely come back to bite me in the ass someday. And possibly quite literally and probably sooner rather than later.

That's better! I've been a tad stressed lately because the child who once loved reading books all day, eating fruit snacks and cooking (ok, he still LOVES cooking) is now almost exclusively into playtime killing, shooting and violence. I blame it on The Power Rangers. It probably has more to do with testosterone. I was more into dolls and fairies growing up, so I'm still devising a plan to foster these new tendencies carefully. I think it will have to do with taking more pictures like this. And praying.

"Hey Gage, can you make a sad face?" Obviously...not possible. We do get grumpy once in a while. Like when he has to share something sacred with his brother. Golf clubs anyone? If he's upset with you, you will get a "well you aren't my friend anymore." Seriously? Where do they come up with this stuff? And really, isn't he like 18 months old? What? 3-1/2? You're kidding me...

Ok, make an "angry Gage" face. That eyebrow trick? It's prevalent on both sides of his family. I've been known to make it a time or two but I think we'll send attributes to Great Grandma Nora.

This little ditty? This face? Stone cold. Ok, kidding. I shared this on Facebook recently but its worth repeating. We like to watch The History Channel and Discovery Channel with Gage. Among his favorites are Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs. He has taste! We found a great show called Pawn Stars recently and while watching it they threw out a very obvious, "Damn it!" which he promptly repeated, and we ignored. Flash forward a week to story time (at home, thankfully). Me: "Rotten luck. Can't go. My truck is stuck!" Gage: "Damn it!" Props for using it right Little Big Man! Let's not do it again though, k?

Back to cooking. He can make Jello and Pudding without reading the directions. He's great at stirring batter, pouring ingredients and licking spoons. He also recently put all of the toppings on a homemade pizza. And loved every minute of it. He's actually very good help in the kitchen. I think I'll teach him to chop onions. I hate chopping onions.

Gage you are a rockstar. We think you're pretty neat. Stay cool k? Oh, and let's not swear at daycare. Love, Mom

Cousins!

These one year old cousins were full of energy for their combined photoshoot. Talk about busy!! Elijah was really into the camera when we first got started. He'd run out in front of me, sit down nice, fold his hands and smile. Perfection. Then he decided he needed a peek inside the lens. Love it!

We had to explore some interesting antics to keep the kids entertained. I think we were chasing a butterfly when I snapped this little gem. Doesn't he look ready for preschool?

Aleyna is equally as cute and busy, just a bit smaller. :) She really liked this rocking chair.

Unfortunately, so did Elijah. And I only brought one.

So we distracted him with bubbles. Who needs suds and a wand when you're a pro at blowing them yourself? I was impressed!

While we captured some great shots of each kid, our biggest challenge was getting one of them together. By this point, he was done with us and ready to chase Grandpa around the yard.

Can you say cute? Love this!

But I like this too.

I had a great time kiddos and hopefully the rest of your pics will be ready soon!