Water, Spiders, & Horses, Oh My!

We had some really nice weather a couple of weeks ago. We spent a few days at the beach and then an afternoon at a friend's house. Gentry didn't know what to play with first: the pool, the water table, or the swing set. He went straight to the water table. And he LOVED it! He was just splashing away.


Gentry absolutely LOVED playing with the water table.


I think we may need to get him a water table for his birthday...



Splish splash!

He was showing me his beautiful teeth during breakfast.

So I was sitting at the computer a few days ago and out of the corner of my eye I saw something moving. I looked up and sure enough, there was a huge spider dangling back and forth outside the window. I quickly grabbed the bug spray and headed out to the backyard. I proceeded to soak the spider in bug spray until it stopped moving. It dropped to the ground and I took a good look and sure enough...it's was a black widow! I decided to put it in a baggie so I could show Mitchell when he got home from work. He agreed, it was definitely a black widow.


Our friend the black widow spider. Apparently, there are a lot of these around here. They don't stand a chance in our yard!


Just playing away with his toys. Must be tasty!


Gentry was just talking away. Mitchell was quick and was able to catch some of it.


We were lucky enough to have Michael and Esther visit for 2 days this past week. Mitchell picked them up at the LA airport Tuesday morning. We gave them a tour of the base and visited Mitchell's work. We attempted to walk the pier in Oceanside and go to the restaurant at the end of it, but the weather had other plans. We wound up going to a little Italian place which was very yummy. Afterwards, we headed across the street to Cold Stone for dessert.
Wednesday was a VERY busy day. We made our way up to LA to meet Esther's friend Cory (she also was in the Corps of Cadets at VT). She treated us to lunch and then we headed to the Santa Monica Pier. We couldn't believe how incredibly windy it was! We were all freezing. While at the pier, Aunt Esther and Uncle Michael treated Gentry to his very first carousel ride. Gentry was thrilled with the ride. He thought he was such a big boy riding on his very own horse. After the pier, we ventured over to 3rd Street. It's basically a promenade of stores. We decided to head back to Cory's parents' house for a bit of down time and to change for dinner.


A super windy day on the Santa Monica Pier.


Gentry's very first carousel ride. He was so excited!

He thought he was such a big boy going up and down, round and round on the carousel on the Santa Monica Pier.

We went to dinner with Cory and her parents to the restaurant they own in downtown LA. It's called Vino Teque. I would say it's more like a wine lounge than a restaurant. The food portions are made smaller so you can sample many different things and pair them with different wines. Cory's parents really outdid themselves and treated us to almost everything on the menu and quite a few different wines. We had such a good time and are thankful we had the opportunity to spend some time with Michael and Esther. It had been 9 months since we'd seen them.

At dinner with Uncle Michael and Aunt Esther at Vino Teque.

Gentry has started "dancing" when he hears music. This video is a bit shaky, but you get the point. It's really cute and I've even caught him bopping his head in the car.

And for Alaina, I had to take a picture of my dessert at Vino Teque...though I'm sure it pales in comparison to your desserts in Italy!

Gentry's First Easter...and second earthquake!

Gentry celebrated his first Easter in a laid-back way...I mean, we DO live in California. We went to church and Gentry even "participated" in the egg hunt. Daddy was holding him and Gentry reached over and grabbed an egg that was sitting on top of a bush. We didn't even realize there was an egg hidden there. One egg was enough for him. Once he got that egg, he was content. Then we went to the coffee shop for a little bit of fellowship. The old women at church just eat Gentry up. It just makes their day to see him. We're glad that Gentry can put a smile on their faces, too.

After church and a much needed nap, we went down the street to a neighbor's house. And this is where we felt the earthquake! I think we were all a bit weirded out at first. We didn't realize what was happening. We could hear a rumbling and feel the ground shaking. You could also see things shaking on the walls and the ceiling fans swaying. It only lasted about 30 seconds (I think). It was quite a strange feeling. It wasn't strong enough to cause any damage and everyone was okay. But we will always remember Gentry's first Easter (even without the earthquake). We had a nice dinner with two other families then came home. It was a long and eventful day for all.

Gentry didn't really know what to do with his basket. He was happy just to dump everything out. Boys....always making a mess :) I didn't really know what to put in his basket, but came up with a pair of pj's, a book about Easter and a little lamb stuffed animal. He seemed to like it.

He also got a package from Grandma & Grandpap Guard. Gentry loves opening packages! He was very happy and thankful to receive some beach toys and 3 new outfits. Daddy was happy that Grandma tucked in a package of double stuffed oreos (he gave them up for Lent). Thank you again Grandma and Grandpap. Also, thank you to all who sent Gentry an Easter card. I'm saving each and every one of them for his memory box :)




He had just woken up from a nap when the package arrived (hence the paci).


"Oh, what's in here?"


"Mmm, are these oreos for me?"

Of course, he loved pulling out all the stuffing and tissue paper.

Before church started.

He's getting so good at standing all by himself. Daddy was trying to coax him into taking a few steps...no luck.

Though he doesn't mind walking if he can hold onto something or someone.

"Yum, I'm going to eat this egg!"

There's that tongue sticking out, as always!

Our first Easter as a family :)

Ready to check out his basket from Mommy & Daddy. I mean, the Easter Bunny.

Hmm...I think I'll dump it out.

"Yep, I think that's everything."

"What's this blue stuff? It's way cooler than my new toys."

Awww. Snuggling with the lamb.

Another egg hunt.

Such a boy.

I think Gentry walked around this tree at least 5 times.

Again, typical boy wanting to get in the dirt.

Holding on for dear life during the earthquake!! No, I'm just kidding, this wasn't when the quake hit. We were playing inside and he didn't even notice.