May 2016 — Fulcher Family

What a cutie! Decided to play with mama's shoes all on his own (you'll see below how easy they are to get off the door), and he's handling them quite well.

Philip's latest tasty creation. Using our meat grinder Christmas gift to make ground beef and delicious hamburgers.

Not a family selfie we had planned on taking. The tornado siren in Muncie went off at about 10:45pm. Cue gathering animals, flashlights, chargers, blankets, and, lastly, waking up a toddler for a pajama party. Thankfully we were all fine. No tornado actually hit, just a storm.

Trying to catch some pictures of Gabriel at daycare (through the 2-way mirror). Finding Apple Tree was a difficult process but we're so grateful for the time he's spent there. Ms. Linda has a pretty awesome book-reading-lap!

First time in a booster chair at a restaurant! He's just so big...

Just chillin' in another booster chair. This one at Red Robin while we're having lunch with Aunt Katie. :-)

What a fantastic day at the mall with Aunt Katie. It was so good to see her (and baby) while we were still living in driving distance.

"Mama, how many pictures are we going to take?!"

Happy Mother's Day! Dada made us delicious beignets and it was a great day with my boys.

Starting the day off right with Scout (the puppy that talks on the phone).

Cell phones captivate them at such a young age these days. ;-)

We sure are going to miss his buddies at Apple Tree!

The train table in the lobby at Apple Tree is one of his favorite things. We make a stop there every afternoon on our way out these days.

These "Little People" vehicles are some of his favorite toys. But from what we hear, he often tries to ride them which isn't really safe. Perhaps a real riding toy is in his future at home...

Last day at Apple Tree! I couldn't get him to give a "perfect" picture, but he's pretty cute no matter what.

Walking into his last day of daycare like a pro.

First taste of homemade popcorn. The good stuff!

Loves popcorn like his mama, but keeps multiple pieces in reserve on his shirt like his dada.

Yes, that's a cat. There's a head buried deep in the cushion on the left side.

Mama got a waffle iron for Mother's Day (yay!) so she used it to make breakfast on dada's birthday. Gabriel approved!

Gabriel also approved of the cake for dada's birthday. G enjoyed cake while dada enjoyed his new whiskey. It was amazing how similar their progression of facial expressions was through this "photo shoot."

Lips pursed the same way and everything!

Practicing the names of body parts on the puppy is always more fun!

With just over a week left to live in Muncie, mama and Gabriel walked up to campus to mimic their visit 9 months ago. (Yes, even in late May we needed hoodies!)

Snack time at Starbucks on campus. Sitting at his own table and everything.

While running around the quad, Gabriel caught sight of a squirrel and just had to chase it. You can just make it out on the left side of that tree he's headed toward.

"I'm gonna get you!"

"Mama, why's he all the way up there?"

Reading The Jungle Book, from Uncle Mark & Aunt Sandy, is one of his all-time-favorite past times.

Eating protein is not always G's preference (texture we think), but he apparently loves eating chicken wings right off the bone! Dada's probably more excited than anyone else. He has a chicken wing buddy. ;-)

Intense concentration. I cleaned out a spice jar and gave him 20 toothpicks to insert through the holes. He did it, silently, 8 times in a row! I couldn't believe how it held his attention (as seen in the video below).

First chicken wings, now corn on the cob. This boy is an eating pro! He definitely has more opinions on food than he used to, but he's still pretty good about trying new things (especially when they look like fun!).

Gabriel demonstrating his need to mimic the animals.

Enjoy this mini-gallery of photos from the beginning of May. Yes, our little man has a healing black eye. But daddy took some fantastic pictures in our backyard in Muncie.

Gabriel has taken to mimicking the animals. Here he was laying down just like the puppy.