Kicking Donkey

Though she seems to clam up a little for the camera, here's a glimpse of the very frequent kicking activity that Greta so loves!

The Boys' Jeep

Gordy & Grayson have been saving their allowance and birthday card money for some special things: battery-powered driving toys. When Gary found this Jeep on Craig's list, they didn't hesitate to go look at & test drive this little treasure.

As you can see, they decided to pool their money and close the deal on their new vehicle together.

Checking under the hood and looking over their tool box.

Check this out:

Video - Pine Tree Climbing

Grayson's Preschool Spring Program

Grayson's Preschool held its spring music program and graduation/promotion for students at a nearby retirement home. The 4 - 5 year olds graduated, while Grayson was among the 3 - 4 year olds who were promoted to their next year in preschool. After many lively and well-performed songs, the students were presented with their diplomas and given gift bags from their teachers.

Grayson has been inseparable from the little toy puppy that was in his gift bag, among other fun treats.

Below are a couple of video clips from Grayson's program.
(Pause the Music Box in order to better hear the audio).

Here, Grayson says his "part" for the performance.
His line is, "We had fun going to the Pumpkin Patch!"
The little girl following him says, "We loved the zoo."


One of the several songs they performed - "Zippity-Do-Da."
If you notice, Grayson gives me a big smile in the middle part. ☺

Grayson, we are so proud of you! Clearly, you took this program seriously, and you did a fantastic job!! We love you so much!

Gordon's Kindergarten Spring Music Program

It was such a treat to see Gordon and his class, along with two other Kindergarten classes, perform in their special spring program on May 20th. They sang some very catchy tunes and really got into the groove, doing lots of motions and putting on a great show.
Gordon is the little guy in the orange striped shirt in the front row. (To his left is his best buddy, Clive, in the light blue, tie-dyed shirt).

Here are a couple of videos from the program.
(Pause the music box to better hear the audio).

This first clip features a song about the end of their school year.


In this clip, the kids sing and sign to "You Are My Sunshine."

Great job ~ to Gordon and all the Kindergartners! What a wonderful year it has been!
We are so proud of you, Gordon - and we love you so much!

Watching Santa's Video Message

Here's the video I tried to post last week ~ the boys in awe of Santa's email message to Grayson. (You may want to pause the "Music Box" on the right so you can hear better).

Grayson's Preschool Program

Yesterday was Grayson's Christmas program for preschool. The kids performed at a nursing home in Eagle. Here, Grayson was trying to figure out where he was supposed to go amidst all the chaos of everyone getting their props and people taking their seats.

Still a bit confused by the frenzy....

All smiles now - ready to go with chair, Santa hat, and bell.

Getting ready - anxious to perform.

Let's get this show rolling....

And...here we go!

Grayson memorized his part wonderfully.

Such a handsome little man!

I love this little guy so much, it's beyond words! His personality is one-of-a-kind!

What's next, Teacher?

Okay. Let's wrap this up. I'm ready for a snack.

This is a video clip of the kids singing "Jingle Bells." Grayson gets really into it toward the end. ☺

Little Grayson ~ Daddy and I enjoyed your performance so much!
We love you and are very, very proud of you!

Messages from Santa

Gordon & Grayson received some very special email messages this week -- from SANTA!

I got some priceless video clips of them watching their individualized Santa greetings, but the video clips were too long and wouldn't upload to the blog, unfortunately. Their reactions were adorable. They were amazed that Santa knew so much about them.

The videos were actually sent by Auntie Nenny & Uncle Tony; I'm not sure how they found this site, but how sweet for the boys to see a personalized video from Santa. Thanks, Jen & Tony! The boys loved these messages!

Here's Gordon's video from Santa
Gordon's video is a little longer than Grayson's.

Here's Grayson's video from Santa
I recommend Grayson's - it's comical, the specific goal that Santa mentions to Grayson is very accurate. Grayson laughed sheepishly when Santa mentioned his efforts to go right to sleep at bedtime. That's a work in progress.... Like his Mommy, Grayson is a night owl.

Video Clips by the Creek

Grayson is Riding His 'Big Boy Bike!'

Grayson has graduated from his tricycle....

To this!

This video clip was taken May 24th - Grayson's 1st real outing on his "big boy bike," during an evening, family bike ride around our neighborhood.

Helmet on - ready to head out....

Grayson got lots of cheering and support from Gordon, Mommy, and Daddy.

Such a big boy!

Way to go, Grayson! ☺

Priceless Gift

Melissa, Jen, and Tony collaborated to get a very special birthday gift for me --
this beautiful locket, in memory of Gabriel.

Engraved on the front: "You are always close to my heart"

Inside, one of Gabriel's footprints.
Still need to put another photo or hand print on the other side.

Engraved on the back: "Gabriel Lee Salzman 01-13-10

This locket is absolutely precious to me, something I will always cherish.
♥ Thank you so much! ♥

Life Goes On....

It's important to remember that even when we're grieving, life goes on. This blog will return to a more joyful and uplifting place, I promise. Already we are finding much joy and comfort in everyday life.

Just today, my sister Melissa, the boys, and I enjoyed a day out and about.
Gordon and Grayson have been amazing reminders of how blessed we are. Their hugs and smiles are incredibly healing for a broken heart. Just look at those sweet faces.

Today was the day I was scheduled for my ultrasound where we were to learn our baby's gender, a special day we were so looking forward to.... Little reminders like this keep popping up, moments when I'm jarred by the reality that our baby boy is gone. But it's also true that each day is getting easier, overall. Gabriel has touched my heart in a way that's changed me, and changed my life.

After lunch today, we drove to the cemetery where Gabriel is buried. St. Luke's provides a special memorial garden for miscarried babies. What a precious place.

This memorial garden will be even more beautiful when the grass is green, the roses are in bloom, and the nearby trees have leaves. I was happy to see the lovely view of snow-covered mountains in the distance from where I stood today.

Gordon asked auntie Lassa to help him get flowers for me this afternoon; such a sweetheart. How fortunate we have been to have Melissa here these past several weeks. She has been an absolute blessing, taking care of all of us during this difficult time.

Again, I cannot thank our loved ones enough for all the prayers and encouragement being sent our way. We continue to lean on our faith and the promise of eternity in Heaven. A friend reminded me today what the name Gabriel means: "God is my strength."

Remembering Gabriel

"Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His presence continually." ~Psalm 105:4

This verse means so much to me, especially after this past week. Our faith, family, and friends are helping us through this sad time. We can feel God's presence, His loving arms holding us as we adjust to life without our sweet Gabriel. Thank you for all the prayers; they mean so much to us.

I wanted to share a few of the things we have to remember baby Gabriel. We were given precious time to hold our baby and say good-bye. He was gently bathed and clothed in a little bunting, then wrapped in a handmade baby blanket.

This priceless card was given to us by the nurses, after they made prints of Gabriel's beautiful hands and feet.

Gordon, Grayson, and Gabriel's footprints

How I long to hold these little hands again....

So tiny, so perfect

We have not yet gotten back the photos taken by a volunteer professional photographer, provided to us by an amazing foundation called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep: http://http//www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/

The service they provide to grieving parents is priceless.

Once we receive the photos, I will share them here.

These are photos taken by the nurses. I edited them to focus on Gabriel's perfect feet, hands and face.

I wanted to share images of our beautiful baby Gabriel; we love him so much and wish we'd had the chance to see him grow up. These photos have helped me through some of the toughest moments in the past week. The hardest time for me is after the distractions of the day are gone, and all is quiet at night. I find comfort in being alone with Gabriel's memory, holding his blanket, and looking at his photos and tiny hand and footprints.

Gabriel was clearly starting to resemble his older brothers. I thank God for the time Gary and I had to hold him and say good-bye.

I will always love this sweet baby of ours. He will forever be a special part of our family. We are so blessed to have Gordon and Grayson in our lives ~ their hugs and smiles are incredibly healing.

Gary took beautiful photos too. This is one of his, above.

Our baby boy was perfectly designed by God, perfectly healthy. You may be wondering what happened, why did our baby die in the 4th month of pregnancy. On December 31, I was diagnosed with a subchorionic hemorrhage, a small blood clot in my blood vessels supplying blood to the placenta. We were encouraged to learn this is not uncommon, rarely does it result in miscarriage. Unfortunately, the bleeding and clotting got worse in our case. The clots became so large that they gradually separated the placenta from the uterine wall, cutting off Gabriel's supply of oxygen and nutrition. Our doctor assured us that he didn't suffer, just fell asleep and slipped away. I'm so disappointed that my body failed to support this precious life inside me, though I know there was nothing anyone could do. It's just so heartbreaking that he was growing and developing so perfectly healthy. I feel so empty now, but each day I feel stronger, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. All of this in in God's hands, and He is my comfort. He is cradling our baby Gabriel, and we'll see him again in Heaven.

Missing Baby Gabriel

The new playlist you hear is in memory of our baby boy, Gabriel Lee, who we lost to miscarriage a week ago today. We were in our 4th month of pregnancy, so smitten with this little life, already a dear part of our family. I will be posting more about him soon.

We are so comforted by our faith, family, and friends during this heartbreaking time, and are especially happy to know that we'll see our precious boy again in Heaven someday.... He is being cuddled and lullabyed by his great-grandparents and God Himself, playing with a sibling we lost five years ago, also to miscarriage. He is so loved. Thank you to all who have been holding us up in prayer ~ we are forever grateful, and can feel God's loving embrace as we adjust to life without Gabriel.

New Sleeping Quarters

Gordy and Grayson got a special surprise yesterday -- a very cool bunk bed/fort for their room!

Happy faces in their new fort! Daddy wishes he had one like this when he was little....

Gordy is bunking on the top and Grayson gets tucked in for bedtime below. We love the built-in bookshelves, and toy cubbies. It fits perfectly in their room, and will allow more play space.

Oh, and you're probably wondering -- why are they sharing a room? Didn't they have their own rooms in the new house...? Well....we have some happy news!

Yes! We have another baby on the way -- due June 28, 2010!

We are very happy and excited, anticipating another Baby G.

The boys too are eager to meet their new baby brother/sister. We decided that since they'll be sharing a room now, we'd make their shared space extra special -- and it really is.