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.

New Adventures

Not much has been going on. I just wanted to add the most recent photos.
I went to a consignment sale last week and found this cute little rocking chair. Gentry really seems to like it.


I was trying to take a picture of Gentry holding a sign that read: "Happy Birthday Grandma, I love you!" but I couldn't get him to sit still long enough.


So, I tried it this way. And...


Then Gentry decided he wanted to eat the paper.


And finally, he'd had enough and decided he wanted to leave.


We've been having some nice weather, so we took Gentry to the park down by the lake (just down the street from our house). They have these big disks that are swings. Gentry seemed to like them.


However, he wasn't so sure about being on it by himself.


You can see his top teeth here! They're coming through so quickly. He's got two top teeth and two bottom teeth; all four came in within about 2 weeks of each other.


Daddy's turn to swing with Gentry. Gentry likes swinging with Daddy because Daddy goes super high!


We went to our friend Kennadi's first birthday party last weekend. It was a very warm day (in the 80's). Gentry's sitting on Daddy's shoulders so he can watch Kennadi blow out her candle.


Gentry standing ALL BY HIMSELF!! I think walking is just around the corner...

Full of Laughter

Just before I went to Zumba last Thursday night, Gentry was in the best mood. All I was doing was making faces at him and this is what Daddy got on camera....



He's got the best little laugh :) We love it!


There were a few warm days last week, so we went to the beach.


Gentry loves playing in the sand.


We went to see the Silent Drill Team and The Commadant's Own (band) perform last Friday. Gentry really enjoyed watching the band. He wasn't very interested in the drill team, but that could have something to do with the fact that it was silent...

He looks so grown up sitting on the bleachers all by himself!

(No worries, Daddy was right behind him holding onto his overalls).

It's so hard to believe that in just over a month Gentry will be a year old. These past 11 months have flown by so quickly. I wish I could slow time down. Gentry is turning into such a little boy. He loves to make noises with his mouth; eventually, they will be car noises I'm sure.

He's also gotten himself into a bit of trouble. This morning I came in to get him out of his crib and I was so happy to see him until I saw....that he had completely chewed the side of the railing! (I'll add a pic once I take one with the camera; I don't know how to upload it from my phone). Oh, I was livid! I know it's silly to be angry over such a small thing, but that was one expensive crib that we are hoping will last a LONG time. I know that once I look back on it, I will smile every time I see those little bite marks on the wood and remember my boy as such the cute baby he is. However, I don't think that moment will be any time soon.

I'm sure this is just the beginning of what is to come....boys sure are busy! We couldn't ask for a happier baby. We are constantly being told how much he smiles and how happy he always seems to be. It feels great to hear these things. Good thing Gentry's got Mitchell laid back temper :) However, he can get mad quickly and doesn't hold back in letting me know he wants something...guess he gets this from his Mommy??

Busy, Busy Boy

Gentry is changing so much these days! He is getting closer to walking and has his first tooth coming through! He's also figured out how to scream very loudly. It's something we're supposed to "ignore" but it's really hard. I hope our neighbors can't hear him. He's got quite the little temper. Wonder where he gets that from?? :)
We were lucky enough to have my cousin, Jordan, come visit last week. We had so much fun and Gentry really enjoyed all the extra attention. While she was here we went up to LA and went to a taping of The Price is Right! How exciting is that?! We went with a group of 15 girls from my neighborhood. One of the girls in our group got called to "Come on down!" and even made it all the way to the showcase showdown. Unfortunately, her luck ran out there. The show airs April 15th, so be sure to tune in and look for the group of women in red shirts.
We also went down to the beach in Oceanside and walked around. It was a little chilly so unfortunately, no tan :(
On Jordan's last day here, we went to the San Diego Zoo. I'm so glad we renewed our membership. It's the perfect place to take guests. And with Gentry getting older, he's starting to take interest in some of the animals.


So proud of himself. He's getting pretty good at pushing that thing around.


He's loves to bang his toys together. If it can make noise, he's happy.


We had a nice day so Gentry and I went walking down at Oceanside Beach and walked all the way to the Oceanside Harbor. There's that silly tongue again!

At first I thought this pelican was fake because it was letting people get so close to him. Don't be fooled...he's real! I went back about a week later with Jordan and he was in his same spot.

Just hanging out after church.

Jordan and I are ready to "Come on down!"

Our shirts read, "The only Marine Hunkier than my husband....is Drew!"

Of course, Jordan's said "cooler than my cousin"

And the back of our shirts.

We took Jordan to the San Diego Zoo. Gentry enjoyed checking out the monkeys.

Gentry took a nice spill Thursday morning at fellowship and wound up with a nasty scratch/bruise on the corner of his right eye. He took it like a champ and hardly shed a tear. Tough little boy!

From the side. Surprisingly, it's almost completely healed.

Here's one of the first times Gentry pushed his walker toy across the room. He was so proud of himself.