Summer Fun

This weekend we had our first (of many, I'm sure) trip to Lake Travis. Luckily, the weather cooperated with us and we had a beautiful, warm, sunny day out there. Byron's best friend from childhood, Bryan Parker and his wife Missy came up to stay at their friend's multimillion dollar house on the lake. What an amazing place! It was probably one of the largest houses I've ever been in! We went up on Saturday to spend the day by the pool. When we arrived Gaby was sure to tell her Daddy that this was the life of luxury she was expecting in the future:) I must admit, I do not disagree with the little princess. This was Gaby's first time swimming and she LOVED the water and had a blast splashing around in her floaty. She looked simply adorable in her hot pink tankini!

These two hadn't seen each other in two years so they had alot of catching up to do. They refused to get out of the sun until they were both crispy!

After a couple hours though, it was time for a nap... We are already having so much fun here in Austin and look forward to having lots more visitors!

Trying To Fit In...

For you non-Texans, Austin is known for keeping it weird:)

Half a year, already??

We are settling into life in Austin (although at times it feels like we're in Seattle-it's been raining everyday!) and still trying to get the house in order. It is definitely a harder task with little Gaby around. But we are making some definite progress. We already had some visitors- my brother and niece, and my dear friend Laurel from Atlanta. We had a wonderful girls weekend (mexican food & margaritas, shopping, brunch & pedicures) and caught up on old times.

Gaby just turned 6 months! Can you believe it?? At her appointment with her new pediatrician she weighed in at 18 lbs 7 oz and 27 inches (I'm not too sure how accurate the length was since it was done much differently than in St. Louis) So with these stats she's in the 90th and 75th percentiles respectively. Our big girl is officially sitting up on her own! She loses her balance occasionally and still needs help getting back into position but is capable of sitting up and playing on a blanket with her toys.

With her newfound skill she is also sitting in a highchair and shopping carts. Makes our shopping trips alot easier:) We also got an exersaucer which she enjoys for only a few minutes here and there. But it still gives me a time to get some stuff done.

Mi Casa Es Su Casa

Here are some pictures of our new house:

What a Whirlwind!!

Home Sweet Home
We are back in God's country on Texas soil and we are thrilled:)!! The last few days have been pretty hectic. We left St. Louis last Thursday morning and have been to Houston, Orange, Elmer(Louisiana), back to Houston and finally our new home Austin. It was a little crazy but we are now here to stay. Here's Gaby saying hello to the Lone Star state... Today, Byron started his new job and Gaby and I began the daunting task of unpacking and setting up our new home. Our sweet baby decided she does not like unpacking and was very vocal on the topic. Regardless, I managed to make a pretty good dent on the multitude of boxes. Byron enjoyed his first day in the real world and was as excited as the first day of school. He's happiest about having his name on a sign outside the office and at the elevators. Finally, like a "real" doctor!

The Royal Viewing

On our many travels we got a chance to see both of our families. We saw the Salazar gang in Houston (Gaby with Pito and Uncle Billy)

(Cousins Carlos and Suzanna)

and the both sides of Byron's family in Louisiana. But first we hung out with Mimi, Papa, Auntie Can, and Uncle Stevie in Orange. The girls got a chance to meet again and confirm their bond as best buds.

The baldie convention...

We travelled to Elmer for a very special occasion- Gaby's great grandmother's (MawMaw) 75th b-day. We had a royal viewing of the princesses for the first time. They met and were passed around to all their grand-aunties and uncles and lots and lots of cousins. They were definitely the center of attention and enjoyed being loved on by everyone. Here are the four generations...

The Family Bully

We found out this weekend who the toughest kid on the block is. Background: our little Mia has grown alot since her hospital days and is up to about 13 lbs, but our Gaby is still a chub at around 19 or 20 lbs. Funny story- while we were getting ready in the morning we laid Gaby and Mia down on a blanket to play. They looked so cute together just looking at each other and babbling. About 10min into it, Gaby started crying. When I went over to see what was up, I see sweet little Mia slapping Gaby on her left temple over and over again. When I picked Gaby up she had a big red welt on the side of her face where Mia had left her mark. So I guess we just found out who's the boss when it comes to those two:)

A Dentist's Proudest Moment

My daughter is sprouting her first tooth!! It is tooth "O" for you dentites out there. It's just a little nubbin at this point but man is it sharp and does it hurt when she starts gnawing on you. I know I'm silly, but it really is just the neatest thing and so darn cute. I am a proud mama:)

Halfway Home

Well, we are halfway moved out of St. Louis. All of our belongings were packed up and loaded onto a gigantic orange 18 wheeler last Thurs and are somewhere between here and Austin. The packing up of this house was sooo much work and was compounded by having to take care of the princess but we managed to get it all done. The packing of the truck was a SEVEN hour event that also caused much distress. But it's all over now and we just have the monumental task of unpacking to look forward to- yikes! Byron left Gaby, myself and the pups on Sunday... and drove the first car down to A-town. He is officially there and is having fun getting things set up for us, although, he is still waiting for the furniture to arrive (hopefully on the 5th). Gaby and I have been left with a mattress, an aerobed, a card table & chairs, a mini fridge, the TV, and the trusty pack-and-play. We are definitley enjoying our new minimalist lifestyle:) Pita arrives on Wed the 4th and will stay with us until my sentence, I mean, my contract:) is completed on the 11th. We head out on the 12th to Houston. Byron comes back up on the 11th, also, to pack up and drive the 2nd car to Austin and will pick us up in Houston and whisk us away to Louisiana to celebrate Gaby's great grandmother's 75th B-day. It will be a busy couple of weeks but ultimately we'll end up in our new home by July 15th!