Happy Belated Independence Day!

We had a great 4th of July weekend! The Morrison Clan
came over for a fun-filled weekend and luckily we got a break from the oppressive heat so we spent lots of time outside. Here's a quick recap: we ate chili dogs, corn on the cob, & watermelon (yum,yum & yum!), went swimming, threw frisbees, had dinner on the lake,
went to the park, played with sparklers, had multiple puppet shows,
fed some pigeons (we were looking for ducks!), ate birthday cake (Happy B-day Jill!) and threw lots of rocks into the lake.
Friday night, after the babies were safely asleep, us adults got to see fireworks from our deck and Saturday night we went out for a nice quiet:) adult-only dinner. Hope, Charlie and Gaby became fast friends and when they weren't fighting for toys they giggled and played nicely. In the end, a good time was had by all and we were so happy to have the Morrison's and their precious kiddos over:)!!

Puzzle Maniac !

My daughter LOVES doing puzzles! I'm not kidding when I say she can do them all day long. It's pretty darn cute. And I don't think I'm being biased when I say she is very good at them. She always wants you to tell her what shape, animal, object, she's holding. She also enjoys looking for the specific piece to put in the right spot. At only 17 months, I believe it's pretty impressive that she can do them so well. She is definitely one smart cookie :) and I am a proud mama.

Finally Some Gymboree Pictures :)

Gaby has sooo much fun at Gymboree! She lights up as soon as we walk in the door and she hears the music. We have a really great instructor who plays the best music- even Mommy enjoys it:) Gaby loves walking to the middle of the mat and shaking her booty! She is most definitely not shy and loves being the center of attention. Most times she is the only girl in the class and has a blast keeping up with the wild and crazy boys. I just love watching her have so much fun :)

Gaby's 1st Haircut

Today, I finally decided to get Gaby's hair cut. As appalling as it has been to my mother, I just haven't wanted to do it until now. Pita's been bugging me for months to cut Gaby's hair, but I just love her wild and crazy curls! The longer it gets, the crazier it is!! What finally made me do it, though, is that when we go to the pool, Gaby's long bangs get in her eyes and bother her. Fortunately, Patty (Gaby's nanny) is going to beauty school so instead of spending about $20 to have someone trim her hair we were lucky enough to have Patty do it at home. And she did a super job! Gaby's hair looks soo cute :)

Here's the before shot:

Getting her hair wet...

The first cut...

Having fun, singing "The Wheels on the Bus"...

Long bangs...

A little off the back...

And after, it's hard to tell what it looks like while still wet...

Thanks, Patty :) !!

Time to Brag :)

Gaby finished her 2nd season of swimming lessons a couple of weeks ago. She loved it and did so great, but is kind of in an inbetween stage right now. So we've decided to take the summer off. She's was getting a little bored of her Aquababies class but might not be mature enough for the next level- The Aquatots. At the Aquatots level, there are only 4 kiddos per class and they are usually around 2 1/2- 3 yrs old. The kiddos are on their own without their mommies and basically have to sit at the edge of the pool waiting for their turn with the instructor. Her instructor said that skillwise Gaby is ready for the class, but we're just not sure she can sit on the edge and wait her turn. Patience is not a trait she's mastered quite yet :) Also I'm not sure she would be too hip on being there without me. So we'll wait the summer out and try to get into a pool as often as we can so we can keep her comfort and skill level up. We joined a gym with an awesome pool this past week and plan to take full advantage of it :)!!

Oh, and the bragging part...At the end of our last class they gave the kiddos purple ribbons for completing the course but Gaby got a yellow one instead. The instructor said the yellow ribbon was b/c she's an "Advanced Waterbaby"- That's my girl:)!!!

Here's me trying to be all "artsy" with my camera :)

New Developments in Gaby-land

Talking
Gaby's vocabulary is growing! She seems to say something new every couple of days. Although, "NO" still continues to be her favorite word. And yes this is still very, very frustrating. She still hasn't learned the word "yes" or "si" and even when she does want something she still says "no" first. A few of her words: mama, daddy, banana, mas, gracias, agua, all gone, bye-bye, hi, oh-oh, Gaby, mio, stop it, and puppy. As you can see it is definitely a mix of spanish and english. And then there's a whole slew of words that only she can understand:) Patty, her nanny, also taught her to do the sign for more/please. It is just too cute when she does it! Funny story- she started doing it one day and I knew it was some sort of sign language but I had no idea what it meant or where she had learned it. Took us a few days to figure it out. She must of thought we were idiots!

Tantrums
The princess is learning how to show her frustration and short temper. I thought it was called the Terrible Twos. She has little tantrums here and there and when we're in public it is pretty embarressing! It doesn't happen often but one time is too many in my opinion. She can achieve some impressive volumes though :) I've learned already that the best thing to do is just ignore her, if possible leave the room and -poof- she's over it. Gotta love a toddler's short attention span!

Whining
When Gaby doesn't know the word for something or just doesn't feel like saying it her favorite thing to do is whine for it until someone pays attention to her. It's this high pitched, screeching sort of noise. Utterly annoying!! Starts to sound like nails on the chalkboard. Give me patience, Lord!

Molars
Gaby's first molars are coming in! Yippee! I'm ready for her to be able to chew everything with no problem. Athough it is pretty amazing how much she can eat with just her gums. I'm talking chips, granola bars, toast etc. It's also very cute to watch her chew with her front teeth- just like a little old man :)

I love my daddy :)

Happy Father's Day to my sweet husband who has turned out to be a pretty great daddy! Gaby will always be grateful for the books you read and reread to her, for the tickle fights, for the bull rides, for the hours of puzzle tournaments, and especially for her nightly baths!

A Few of my Favorite Things

Sorting shapes... I have no idea at what age kids are supposed to be able to put the right shape in the right hole but Gaby's been doing it for about 2-3 months. She's a genius :)

Pushing my stroller...She loves walking away, pushing her stroller and blowing kisses. It's the cutest!!

Coloring...
She can sit for about 20 min concentrated on her coloring. Gives me a little time to get stuff done- like cooking dinner.

Reading...
Gaby grabs a book, sits in her chair and reads out loud to herself. Makes you want to kiss her to pieces!!

A Year Older, A Year Wiser...

Today is my 33rd birthday.
I know, I know, it's hard to believe. I don't look a day past 25- right??

...Crickets chirping...


Right?? Anyone?? Anyone??







This past weekend we had a Memorial Day/Birthday weekend in Houston. My dad and I share a birthday so we are always happy to be able to spend it together.

We had many birthday meals including Saturday night with some friends and Candie & Steven, Sunday brunch, and a BBQ at my sister's house on Monday. My parents just moved into a new house and we spent the rest of our time helping them get things organized, unpacked and in order. Byron was quite the handyman this weekend. My parents new neighborhood is around this great country club- Royal Oaks and the kids and I enjoyed the pool. They have an awesome toddler section with sprays and showers. Next time, I need to take my camera to get some good shots. Gaby just loves playing with her cousins and even got to hang out with Mia on Saturday night. Lulu & Carlos babysat the girls at my mom's house for Candie & Steven. Thanks, kiddos:)!!

Here they are in Marcie's backyard. She bought some fun inflatables for Gaby...

Gaby started out with a diaper on, but ended up nudy:)

Some thoughts as I accept my new older and wiser status,

but attempt to stay younger and naive...

1. Always wear sunscreen.

2. Washing your face & applying moisturizer b4 bed is a must!

3. White teeth make you look younger. Promise.

4. A baby makes you feel young and old all at once.

5. View the world through their eyes and you can't go wrong :)

Movin' On Up

Gaby has graduated from Level 3 Gymboree to Level 4. Today was our first class with the 16-22 month olds. (Gaby will be 16 months tomorrow!) This class is definitely more appropriate for the princess. Everyone in it is walking/running and much more active that the 10-16 month olds. The games are a little more educational and the music is much more fun. Now if I could only get her to stop slapping and pushing people down, then we'll be making some progress ;).....

Sugar Mama !

Gaby finally got her paycheck from the Tree of Life movie shoot today!! My little sweetie also got her first taste of paying the piper- Uncle Sam. After taxes, it was a little bit more than $46. Byron plans on matching it and insists on putting it in her college fund. I wanted to buy her a tiara or a new pair of shoes or something more fun than that! But of course, my hubby always has to do the smart, practical thing. Boring!! Gaby says: Yippee!! Look at me go :)

Happy Mother's Day to Me....And to You :)

I had a pretty low key (but much appreciated) relaxed Mother's Day. Byron had to work this morning, so Gaby and I hung around the house and enjoyed the amazing weather outside. (The last couple of days it has be sweltering here and today we had such a welcome break from the 90+ degree heat) My little princess and her daddy wrote me two very sweet cards and sent me the most beautiful flowers....
Tonight we went to my favorite restaurant in Austin- The Hula Hut! The Hula Hut is this great mexican restaurant with an awesome outdoor deck on Lake Austin. I had a yummy Mother's Day dinner
and enjoyed this gorgeous spring weather with my two favorite people in the whole world.

On my second Mother's Day, I reflect back on this last year of motherhood and am just in awe of how much Gaby has grown and changed already. Even though she seems more like a little girl now, she will ALWAYS be my sweet baby. I am so excited about all that she has learned in such a short time and just adore the personality she is developing. Gaby is a smart, strong willed, funny, outgoing, independent, gorgeous little girl. I am honored to be her mommy and look forward to the many adventures we have ahead of us. I love you, baby girl :)

Growing up too fast...

Our little sweetie is growing up sooo fast!! I know it's a cliche but it's so true. Let me tell you why... One thing we've always done since Gaby was sleeping by herself in her crib from 5 months of age is to rock her to sleep in our arms and then place her in her bed peacefully sleeping. We have the cushiest, most comfortable chair in Gaby's room and we would give her her bottle there and then just have quiet time with her as she dozed off. I know that we should of stopped that long ago but we really just didn't want to. We didn't mind the 10 or 15 minutes it would take until she fell asleep. It is the sweetest time of the day:) Byron and I never even discussed when we should stop. We just figured we would know when the time was right. Well, can you believe that Gaby has decided that she doesn't want us to rock her to sleep anymore??? That's right!! When we were in Florida and since we've been back she just makes sure she has her paci and Mr. Bunny and then points to her crib as if to say- Just put me in there, please, I'm ready to go to sleep. What a big girl:) She is just the cutest most adorable baby, er, I mean kid ever! Byron and I were pretty sad last night when we realized that that stage of our lives with Gaby is over. Boo!

The Holt/Tramonte/Salazar/Griffin Family Vacation

We FINALLY went on a vacation!!!
It's been way too long since we had sand between our toes.

This past week we went on our first annual Holt/Tramonte family vacation. We took the girls to Anna Maria Island, Florida. The whole gang went- Mimi & Papa, Aunt Can, Uncle Stevie & Mia and us. We had amazing weather and had a blast taking the girls to the beach and swimming in the ocean and the pool.

The girls LOVED playing in the sand!! They thought the ocean was the neatest thing ever and weren't even afraid one bit to run into it!

That gang left us after four days and then Pita came to enjoy some fun in the sun with her "Gabrielita". Gaby and Pita loved going out early in the morning to collect seashells and splash in the waves.

We were also joined by the Griffins- Laurel, Josh, Cole & Brady.
They have family on the island and were the ones to introduce us to such a beautiful, peaceful place (Laurel and Josh were married there!) It was so great to hang out and see them again! It was our first time meeting little Brady. Cole and Gaby were sooo cute together! Gaby was always trying to hug and kiss that handsome boy- what a flirt:)!

My best sunset picture....

Now we are back to the real world and rejuvenated from an amazing, relaxing week at the beach. Vacations are wonderful inventions:)