What's New in NC

Happy Birthday Stephanie

2008-09-24T19:26:00.004-04:00

Hi Stephanie,

We hope you are feeling better. Here is a birthday message from all of us.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

2008-09-16T17:07:00.003-04:00

Click on the play button to watch Ryen dance and hear Kaden sing.

We Love Our Daddy

2008-09-14T10:13:00.001-04:00

Fun With Grammie and Grampie

2008-09-14T09:36:00.004-04:00

We have seen Grammie and Grampie a few times this summer. We went to a few parks together. We sure do love the park and hanging out with Grammie and Grampie.

Hair, Hair, Hair!

2008-09-14T09:25:00.002-04:00

Check out how we have been doing our hair.

At The Beach

2008-09-13T23:14:00.009-04:00

We went to Outbanks this summer with a bunch of family members that we hadn't seen in a really long time. We spent a week in a house together in Duck, NC. It was great to see everyone again and meet some new faces. All of us had a great time. Ryen was the youngest at 14 months
and Grandma Sally was the oldest at a young 84. Here are a few photos from the trip.

Kaden Knows How To Swim Now

2008-09-13T22:56:00.005-04:00

Kaden went to swim lessons this summer and learned how to swim by himself. Check out our little fish.

Hangin' With The Fam at Disney

2008-09-13T22:48:00.003-04:00

Right after the school year ended the kids and I went to Disney to meet the fam :) The kids had a great time seeing their cousins. Kaden and Braedon were inseperable...too cute!!! We cannot wait to do this again, maybe next summer.

Belated Halloween Pictures

2007-11-27T19:56:00.000-05:00

I know this is really late. Sorry for the delay. Ryen was sick on Halloween and we only got a couple of pictures. A short time after I got the kids dressed up again for a "Belated Halloween". Kaden went Trick-or-Treating with Shawn and I stayed home with Ryen. Ryen and I only had six or seven visitors but they all thought she was adorable. Shawn said Kaden was really good-he said thank you at all the houses. So enjoy the pictures and Happy Belated Halloween....BOO!!!!

Zoo Slide Show

2007-10-21T15:59:00.001-04:00

True Love

2007-10-21T15:40:00.000-04:00

Kaden and Ryen really do love each other. Kaden cannot leave Ryen's room at daycare in the morning without giving her a hug and a kiss...he always wants to get his hands on her. Ryen lights up every time Kaden is anywhere near here. He can just walk by and she will laugh hysterically.

Sitting-Well Almost

2007-10-21T14:58:00.000-04:00

Ryen is working on sitting up. She is constantly lifting her head trying to get herself into the sitting position. If I did that all day maybe I would loose the baby fat I still have left. She cannot completely sit by herself yet but she is close.

My Boy Can Write

2007-10-21T14:38:00.000-04:00

It seems that every time I turn around one of the kids is doing something new. Kaden's latest achievement is learning to write. He is so proud that he can write my name. Sorry about the glare on the picture I couldn't get a good picture without it.

Just Like Daddy!!

2007-10-21T14:27:00.000-04:00

The other day Kaden announced to the entire house (which happens each time) that he needed to go potty. When I walked into the bathroom to check on him he was getting off the potty. He looked right at me and said "I need to get a magazine and read it while I go potty, just like my daddy". I could hardly contain my laughter. He got himself back on the potty, read the magazine (or should I say looked at the pictures-just like daddy-that is the way he reads his magazines too), and look care of business.

Eating

2007-10-21T14:17:00.000-04:00

Ryen has been eating now for about a month and a half. She loves it!!! It is quiet the adventure feeding her though. If you are going to feed her, make sure both you and her are prepared to get covered. She shoves her fingers in her mouth and then flails her hands. In the process anyone in the vicinity gets completely covered in cereal. The last one is a picture of her so pooped from the eating process. Check out some of the shoots we got of her eating like a lady.

TBG Have Sophie

2007-09-11T21:36:00.000-04:00

One of the teachers that I work with just left on the 5th to go get her daughter from China. Her husband, two kids, and father went with her. Check out the link to her blog titled TBG Happenings. She is precious.

Sleeping

2007-09-11T21:27:00.001-04:00

Since Ryen has been born Kaden has slept in a few strange places. I guess he is tired too!!! Here he is passed out in his room (in the orange)...we knew something was wrong when we didn't hear him. We have also found him on the floor in the hallway and behind the couch. If you have ever spent a minute with Kaden you know that him falling asleep is an amazing occurance..

Blogging 101

2007-07-24T17:37:00.000-04:00

In talking with Erynne I came to realize not everyone is familiar with blogging. I wanted to let everyone in on a few tricks. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them. There is also a spot at the bottom of each post titled comments. If you would like to say something about the pictures you can post your comments there. Just beware other people can read them too....so don't say anything mean about anybody else--ha, ha! There is a brief lesson on blogging. I guess I am in teacher mode even when I am on break.

Ryen Update

2007-07-24T17:22:00.000-04:00

Ryen is getting bigger and bigger everyday. She focuses on everything now and REALLY smiles!!!!! You should hear her make her noises. Sometimes it seems like she is actually laughing. My concern is that she is going to be a talker just like her big brother...oh no!!!!

Pictures from NY

2007-07-24T17:13:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures we took while we were in NY for the Fourth of July.

Hangin' With "The Cousins"

2007-07-24T16:39:00.000-04:00

I say "The cousins" because that is how Kaden refers to them. He can never remember their names. We had a great time hangin' with them when we went back to New York. We went to the zoo, a small amusement park, had a BBQ, and just hung out. We sure do miss them!

Nursing

2007-07-24T16:33:00.000-04:00

Kaden said to me one morning before going to school that his baby was hungry. I thought he was going to grab his bottle and feed her. The next thing I knew he was lifting up his shirt to feed his baby Ryen. I was laughing so hard I almost didn't get a picture. He sat there for several minutes and fed her until she was done. He even burped her. Do you think he will remember how to do this when he becomes a dad?

Odd and Ends

2007-06-23T21:38:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures that don't really fit into a category...but were too cute not to post.

Race For The Cure

2007-06-23T21:30:00.000-04:00

One June 9th we participated in The Race For The Cure again. This year Erynne and Todd joined us. Together we raised nearly $500. A great big thank you to all who helped us raise the money!!!!

Big Brother

2007-06-23T21:23:00.001-04:00

Kaden loves his new baby sister. Check out how much...

Going Home

2007-06-23T21:17:00.000-04:00

Here we are on the way home. I cannot wait to sleep in my own bed....not that we will get a good night sleep for a while.

Ryen Is Here

2007-06-23T21:07:00.000-04:00

Ryen has joined the Gibbs Family. She was born on May 8th at 2:36 pm. She weighed 5 lbs 0 oz and was 18 1/2 inches. We don't have any pictures of when she was first born because we didn't have time to get the camera. Here are the first pictures we took. Welcome to the world baby girl!!

On Bed Rest

2007-05-03T16:08:00.000-04:00

On Monday Ryen desided she wanted to come and see us in person. Needless to say Shawn and I sent the night at the hospital trying to get the contractions to stop. They gave me two shots that made them subside. On Tuesday morning they sent us home...with me still having contractions...and I was instructed not to go back to work or do much of anything. I am still having contractions but they are not as often or as strong. Hopefully our baby girl can hang in there until at least Monday the 7th (I will be 37 weeks then). Hopefully I will be able to hang in there too. I have only been on bed rest for 3 days and I am already going crazy. Shawn has been GREAT!!!! He has been taking care of Kaden like a champ. I think Kaden is really enjoying his time with his daddy. Our friends have been really supportive too, bringing us food so Shawn doesn't have to worry about cooking too. We will keep everyone posted. Ryen will be here soon, but hopefully not too soon.

Take a Guess

2007-04-16T17:00:00.001-04:00

Getting Ready for Ryen

2007-04-16T16:49:00.001-04:00

Four weeks and counting! Shawn, Kaden and I have been working hard to get ready for Ryen. Shawn sanded Kaden's old crib, we painted the unfinished dresser we bought, painted the crib, and the room. One of my friends came over and painted the dragonflies and butterflies on the walls and made the letters for her name. The room isn't quite down yet but it is almost complete. We are very excited about the way it looks and cannot wait for her to get here! (There are more pictures below)

What the Walls Look Like

2007-04-16T16:42:00.000-04:00

There wasn't enough room on the last post for all the pictures. Here's what the walls look like up close.

Watch Out-Crazy Driver!!!!!!

2007-04-11T19:49:00.000-04:00

Shawn and I bought Kaden a Hummer for his birthday. He wants to ride it each and every day. Despite all the practice he has gotten he is still a crazy driver. My advice....stay off the road between the hours of 4:00-6:00 if you would like to survive!

Kaden's Birthday

2007-04-11T19:32:00.000-04:00

Kaden had his third birthday last week....I know we cannot believe it either! They had a party for him in New York when we were there and then we went to the park to celebrate with his friends. He had a great time at both parties.

I Have A Dream Speech

2007-03-17T10:49:00.000-04:00

Beginning in January my students and I began working on writing their own I Have A Dream speeches. I am posting a link to my school website so you can view it. They created their own music, recorded their voices, found pictures to support their speech and ultimately created this fantastic movie. Remember I teach third graders. I was very impressed with the final product. To view it you will need to download iTunes. This is free for all computers. Do the following steps:
1. Go to my school website http://gibbsgang.sme.abss.k12.nc.us
2. Scroll down to Sneak a Peak and click on Dream Movie
3. Download the movie.
4. Once iTunes opens click on the movie folder on the left hand side of the screen.
5. The first slide is a title page. If you do not see that side the diamond shaped object at the top of the screen back to the beginning.
6. To play it click on Dream Movie.
7. Once it begins to play a small square comes up on the bottom right corner of the movie. If you click this it will play it full screen.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy it.

Baking with Aunt Erynne

2007-03-04T13:31:00.000-05:00

Aunt Erynne came to visit while Kaden had his broken collar bone and other issues....yes there were many. To help distract him they made cookies together. I think they made at least 50 cookies and they were gone in only a couple of days. YUM!!!!

Broken Collar Bone

2007-02-24T14:51:00.000-05:00

On January 15th Kaden and I spent the day together since we didn't have to go to school...hooray for holidays. He was playing at Landon's house on the back on his motorized tractor. Landon turned the corner and Kaden fell off. He landed on the driveway directly on his shoulder....good thing he had his helmet on or he would have been knocked out too. Needless to say he broke his collar bone. He had to get x-rays and wear a sling. On top of all of that he came down with pink eye the following day and a few days later he developed pneumonia because he couldn't breath that well. When Aunt Erynne came we took some pictures. They are pretty pathetic.

We Have A Name

2007-02-24T14:28:00.000-05:00

Shawn and I have come up with a name for the baby. Although Kaden wants to name his baby sister dickle-da, I think we are going to go with something else--Ryen Ginelle. Shawn wanted to name Kaden Ryan, so he has liked that for a really long time. The Ginelle comes from a variation of Virginia. When we found out the baby was a girl we wanted to do something to honor my mom. The doctors say the are most likely going go do the C-Sections on May 14th. We will send pictures of Ryen Ginelle as soon as she arrives.

Monster Truck Show

2007-01-28T20:37:00.000-05:00

We went to the Monster Truck Show in Greensboro. Our neighbors asked us to go. Landon is 3, and him and Kaden are great friends. Although I was not so sure about going we had a great time. Kaden was so excited the trucks were jumping and breaking the cars (after I told him that was what they were supposed to be doing). I bought the boys that popcorn about half way through the show. It was the best $4.00 ever spent. They ate the entire bucket on their own!

Crazy Hair Day

2007-01-28T20:28:00.000-05:00

Kaden had Fun Week at school. This was crazy hair day.
Shawn wet his hair in the morning, applied hair gel, and used a blow drier to spike it. Believe it or not, when I picked him up that afternoon it was still standing straight up. I guess that is what happens when you get a combination of mine and Shawn's hair. Poor kid!

Playing In The Water

2006-07-02T15:29:00.000-04:00

Kaden has been spending some time playing in the water. He loves it! Take a look!!!!

Race for the Cure

2006-07-02T15:01:00.000-04:00

Shawn, Kaden and I participated in The Race For The Cure on June 10th. This was our first time doing something like this and the experience was beyond words. It is amazing how many people are impacted my this disease. We ran a 5K and finished in a timely manner, once we got passed all the people who were walking. Kaden loved it and Shawn often put him through one of the sprinklers the neighborhood folks had going for us. We raised $590 and plan to do this in honor of my mom and Shawn's grandmother again next year. It usually happens in June so if you would like to join us next year just let us know.