Gender Reveal Party

Since finding out we were pregnant in early May, I've been planning a Gender Reveal Party. I wanted to share our big news with the entire family at the same time.

Kyle and I went to the ultrasound on Tuesday afternoon. I was so happy that he got a Tuesday afternoon off work and was able to come with me. We were so excited and happy to learn that our baby was healthy, developing normally, and so active! The baby was so active during our ultrasound that the tech asked if I had drank a coke prior to the test. I hadn't, although I admit I had eaten a chocolate chip cookie right beforehand.

And we were so excited to learn that Baby Gobel is a girl!

We even got to see the baby in 4D; so we got to see her little face. She looked so peaceful and may have been sucking on her thumb at one point. I think she even looked like one of our nephews. The tech gave us a DVD with our ultrasound on it, so we can watch the ultrasound and hear her heartbeat at home, anytime.

On Saturday, we had the whole family over to reveal the big news. I baked a cake and hid pink icing in the middle. I also made some mints and cookies. We also used the opportunity to celebrate Kyle's birthday, which happened to be the next day.

I had the family choose either a bow or a moustache to indicate whether they thought the baby was a boy or a girl.

Since there are so many boys in the family already, I wasn't surprised that most people chose a boy. All of Kyle's siblings, except for Lauren picked a boy!

Here's a picture of those who thought Baby Gobel was a girl, minus Zayden, who couldn't be bothered for a photo.

Both my dad and Pat said they just knew it was a girl!

Kyle and I weren't expecting any presents, but several thoughtful guests brought two gifts- one for a girl and one for a boy. We received a couple of sleepers, a blanket, some books, and giant bottles of shampoo, baby wash, and Desitin. The sweetest gift we received was from Zayden and Sawyer. Zayden picked out a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal for his new cousin. How sweet!

I think the family was thrilled to be having a girl. After six straight boys in the Gobel/Miller family, I think it was time for a girl myself!

Halloween

I know it's a little late, but thought we would share our Halloween pictures. We've been busy working on our new house (!) and haven't had extra time to post lately.

On Saturday, two days before Halloween, we headed out to Turkey Run State Park to trick-or-treat at the campground with Kyle's brothers and sister. We had such a great time: the weather was perfect and the kids had a blast. Here are a few pictures from the evening.

All the kids!

Kyle and Ninja Derek

Will and I for our annual Halloween picture (he's a ninja, too)

On Monday, Halloween, we went to Kyle's mom's house on West Main. Zayden went trick-or-treating and Sawyer stayed with us while we handed out candy. We had soooo many trick-or-treaters that we ran out of candy at 7!

Zayden/Lightening McQueen and Sawyer the Parrot

Priebe's Pumpkin Patch

On Sunday, Kyle and I headed out to Priebe's Pumpkin Patch. It's in the little town of Garfield, which is in between Crawfordsville and Darlington. It was a warm, fall afternoon and it was so nice to be outside.

There was a corn maze, a nature trail, and a pumpkin patch.

 There were so many pumpkins to choose from...

...but I think we found the perfect one!

Farm Valentino

Yesterday, we visited Valentino's, a produce farm, just outside of Crawfordsville on US 136. They always have the most beautiful looking produce at the Farmer's Market.

A few weeks ago we visited the farm to pick up some pumpkins. Saturday afternoon turned out to be a perfect fall day to head out there to pick up some produce. We love discovering local places and supporting local business. Below are some pictures from our trip.

I forgot to take any pictures of the produce! We bought some fresh green beans and butternut squash. We'll have meatloaf and green beans this week and I'm making butternut squash soup for the first time. If it turns out, I'll share that with you.

And, since Saturday was my birthday, we had to take a picture together:

If you're looking for fresh produce (and miss the Saturday farmer's market), make sure to visit Valentino's!

Boiler Time

Hey everyone!  It's September, and in the Gobel house that means one thing: Purdue football. The Boilers opened the season last Saturday with a home game against Middle Tennessee State University. Erin and I talked for weeks about going to the game, but the day before, we wimped out. It was supposed to be about 95 degrees and rainy, so we decided to enjoy the first game from the air-conditioned comfort of my mom's living room.

The Boilers got new jerseys this year.  I like them.

Well, "enjoy" didn't turn out to be an accurate description of our experience watching the game. The Boilers, behind their third-string, first-time-starter quarterback, struggled for three quarters. However, Caleb TerBush orchestrated a clutch fourth quarter touchdown drive to put the Boilers up 27-24, and big-time sophomore cornerback Ricardo Allen blocked a potential game-tying field goal to seal the win. It wasn't an ideal start to the season, but the Boilers did some good things (Ralph Bolden rushed for 120 yards in his first game back from an ACL tear), and Purdue fans will take the win. It certainly could have been worse--just ask the Hoosiers and the Irish.

Ricardo saves the day.

Erin and I definitely plan on making it to a few games this season. We know we are going to the Notre Dame game for Erin's birthday, and we've talked about making it up to West Lafayette for a few more. Nothing beats a college football Saturday!

Big Woods Brewing Co.

Kyle and I escaped to Nashville on Saturday. We always love going there, especially in the fall. Our October calendar is looking busy, so we decided to go a little early. We went there for part of our honeymoon, and it's just sort of our place. We love walking around and looking at the little shops, although we never buy much of anything. But, we always struggle finding a place to eat. On Saturday, though, we discovered the Big Woods Brewing Company.

Big Woods Brewing Company, 60 Molly Lane

I was starving by the time we got lunch, so I would have eaten anything at this point. The menu had sandwiches and pizza, and several vegetarian options. It all looked good!

Kyle chose a salad and a grilled buffalo chicken sandwich. I went out on a limb and tried the mini black bean burgers with an avocado dressing. The food was fantastic! It was fresh and some of it was local, which is always a plus.

Kyle's (small) side salad with local Tootie Frootie dressing

Kyle's sandwich

My black bean burger (I even ate the little pieces of corn!)

 I hope I can find a way to make my own black bean burgers. To drink, Kyle had the Possum Trot Pale Ale. He said it was great; I didn't like it, though.

My diet coke and Kyle's beer

We finally found a restaurant that we love and will definitely go back the next time we are in Brown County. I can't wait to try the pizza next time!

Kyle's Birthday Weekend

Friday, the 12th, was Kyle's birthday. He took a vacation day and we spent the day shopping in Indy. Then, we headed to Fishers, to our friends' home. The four of us had planned on going to the Def Leppard/Heart concert for awhile. No, not for Def Leppard or Heart, though!

One of Kyle's good friends, Evan Watson, got a gig opening for Def Leppard this summer. He has a band, but he's touring solo this summer. Here's a link to his myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/evanwatsonmusic. I got two pictures of Evan before my camera died (I hadn't charged it since vacation!):

We met up with Evan afterward, and he took us backstage. We got to shake hands with Rick Allen, Def Leppard's drummer! It was a great evening and so exciting to see one of Kyle's friends on the big stage!

I finally got to give Kyle his presents, too. He's been wanting movie posters for his future movie room. Since real movie posters are way too expensive, I've been searching Etsy for something more reasonable. So many artists make these fantastic movie/television posters. I had trouble picking a few out because there's so many. I finally settled on this shop: http://www.etsy.com/people/TheArtOfAdamJuresko?ref=ls_profile. I chose three posters, all three ended up being television shows, not movies, though. Here are the three I chose:

Buffy, the show we're currently watching

Freaks and Geeks, one of our favorite shows

Twin Peaks, Kyle's favorite show

These posters look amazing and I like the fact that they are unique and hand-made. Plus they will look awesome in our future house!