Gabe is 5!!!

5 years ago today Byron and I became parents to the sweetest little boy ever! He completely changed our lives and has been a blessing everyday!

Happy Birthday, Gabe! We love you!!!

Byron got Gabe a new bike a few weeks ago ...he had already worn his old one out. He insisted on having his 5 year old pictures with his bike and I love the way they came out!

Miguel is One Month Old!!

Miguel turned one month old this week! In some ways it feels like he has been here a lot longer than that...in other ways it is hard to believe it has already been a month since he arrived into our world! We are starting to get used to being a family of 5 now. Miguel is getting big - already over 10 pounds. He isn't going to be a tiny thing like his big sister, for sure! He makes his presence known at about 6:00pm everyday with a good screaming fit, but is very mild mannered the rest of the time. What a little blessing!

We will use Mr. Monkey each month to see how big he gets!

Fall Crafts

We have been busy learning about the history behind Thanksgiving and being thankful this month. Of course, I had to throw in some Thanksgiving crafts, too!

We loved making these toilet paper roll turkeys... you can find templates and instructions here.

The garland on our mantel was super fun to make! It is also made out of TP rolls!!

I absolutely LOVE this turkey centerpeice, too!!



Now to get ready for some gluten free Turkey Day recipes!!

Miguel meets some Sernas!

We have been blessed to have some family members come and to visit and meet Miguel!

When Miguel was just 2 weeks old, Auntie Nicol came up for a day...Check out how dashing Gabe looks in his suit. This is a little preview of our Christmas pictures - Nicol brought beautiful Christmas outfits for all 3 of them!

 Last weekend Miguel got to meet Papa Serna and Ana!



Here is a sweet picture of the "Serna Men".

Our 3 blessings

They all look so much alike!!

Bath Time

Miguel's first bath was Halloween night! This wasn't the treat he was wanting, though!!

What's in a name?

A lot of people have asked how we came up with Miguel's name. Well, here it is! Five years ago, Byron and I enjoyed watching the reality tv show, Rock Star INXS, where 15 contestants competed to become the lead vocalist for the Australian rock band INXS. Our favorite contestant was the very talented Austrailian rocker, Mig Ayesa. I was pregnant with Gabriel at the time and Byron made the comment that if we ever have another boy we should name him Miguel and call him "Mig". Fast forward five years....we were trying to come up with a boy name for our baby and Miguel came up again. I have to admit, I wasn't that into naming our baby Miguel, but never came up with a name that both of us like more. Besides, Miguel kind of works for our family....my name is the female form of Michael, Miguel is the Spanish form. Gabriel and Miguel (Michael) are the only angels named in the Bible. Selah name was inspired by the Christian vocal group with the same name, and Miguel's name was inspired by a vocalist. So I conceeded. And yes, Byron does call him "Mig". Miguel's middle name, Carlisle, was my great-grandmother's maiden name. And there you have it!

Here is a video of Mig Ayesa for your viewing and listening pleasure!