Singing Beauty

Gaby's newest thing?? Singing. She tries to sing along to songs in the car with me and it is quite possibly the cutest thing you ever seen in your life. She sings the last word of each phrase. I've got this mix of children's music that is surprisingly pretty tolerable. I actually enjoy the songs and like singing to them myself. Gaby's favorite song is one I like to call the "Monkey Song". I will try to get video of it soon. I just hope she gets her singing ablility from somewhere other than my genes. Otherwise, sorry sweetpea- you'll be destined to a life of car and shower singing only.

ACL

This weekend was the annual Austin City Limits Music Festival. It's a huge concert event at Zilker Park with over 100 bands playing for three days. My good friend from high school, Melissa Rabinowitz, came to town from L.A. and we got to hang out and listen to some good music. Beck was great!
And as usual, whenever there is the need for some Gaby-free time, Pita showed up to save the day :) She actually arrived on Wed night (Patty is on vacation) and spent four days with us. Gaby finally learned how to correctly pronounce "Pita" and so all weekend it was "Pita this", "Pita that". So, so cute!! Now we all know that Pita is the best but I really can't say it enough- Thanks, Mom!! Your love for us and Gaby is undeniable and we are so very grateful for all that you do for us!


Here are the girls admiring their handiwork. They did a little gardening this weekend :)

My newest obsession...

STAMPING!

We're still learning not to get the ink all over our fingers.
Practice makes perfect :)

Evacuees

We finally got some evacuees! These evacuees fled from Houston because of Hurricane Ike but not specifically because of the damage and destruction left behind. More so because of a side affect of the damage and destruction...boredom! Boredom from being out of school and not having anything fun to do b/c everyone else has no power or water. So Lulu and Carlos came to town to hang out and play with their baby cousin for a few days. Yipee!!
We had alot of fun with them here and Gaby was just on cloud nine having them around. The best part was that Gaby finally learned how to say their names. It's the cutest thing ever to hear her call out for "Wuwu" and "Calos" :)

Here are some pics of us at Zilker Park....

and Barton Creek...

Gaby loves playing with Lulu's beautiful hair. I was able to catch this sweet moment :)
These kids were actually eager to get back to school. As Lulu said, write it down, it may never happen again. I think they realize that they are just going to have to make up the time this summer- what a bummer!

Not one tear...

Not one tear from my brave little girl today as I dropped her off at preschool. Dare I say, she might of even been happy to be there? I. Am. So. Proud.

The under 2's don't have to wear a uniform to school but I found some navy shorts and white shirts for dirt cheap at Walmart so I thought- why not?

Check out my cute little school girl :)

The Aftermath

Hurricane Ike has come and gone and left a pretty ugly path of destruction. Luckily, my family and most of my friends had little effect from the storm besides minor damage and lack of electricity or water. Even my in-laws in Orange, which was beaten up again (they'll never forget Rita!), were spared any major problems. Thank you, God! In Austin, if you can believe it, we had not ONE drop of rain from Ike and very minor wind gusts. It does seem like the end result has been, possibly, the end of the scorching summer and the beginning of fall. Today, has been just a gorgeous day with mild temperatures in the upper 80s and the bluest skies ever. There will be a MAJOR cleanup needed in Galveston, Houston and surrounding areas. I feel so sad for everyone who lost loved ones or property from Hurricane Ike. Hope life can get back to normal soon.

Ike

Hurricane Ike is barreling towards all the people that are important to me. Let's hope and pray his bark is worse than his bite.

She's just too cute :)

Shiny & New

New, little, crisp, white tennis shoes.







I wonder how long they'll stay that way??

Tuvo un lindo dia...

Translation: She had a lovely day.

That's what was written on Gaby's first daily report card. My sweetie went to school today like a big girl and had a "lovely" day. She cried some when we got there and realized I would be leaving. But I got her situated at her table, told her Mr. Bunny would stay with her and waved goodbye. And yes, folks, I actually left the premises this time. I stood outside the room for a few minutes and heard no crying. Actually, no one was crying today- what a relief!! I think the fact that everyone else was calm makes a big difference. And having Mr. Bunny is such a comfort. Today, Gaby stayed for lunch with her new friends. Eventually, she'll stay for naptime. Maybe in a few weeks. I truly believe this is the right decision for Gaby. She's going to learn alot and she really seemed to have enjoyed herself today :)

Saturday fun!

We had a fun-fiilled Saturday....
In the morning we attended Gaby's buddy's b-day party. Aiden Rhodes turned 4! It was at our favorite park and we enjoyed the cooler morning weather, carnival themed games, and of course some cake :)


After naptime, we headed to Bastrop to see our good friends the Davis'-Brad, Tracie & Drew. They were staying at the Hyatt Hill Country Lost Pines Resort . What a great place for a quick, close family vacation. I highly recommend it if you're looking for something like that. They have great pools with a sandy beach and a lazy river. There's also horseback riding, golf, and hiking...

Anyway, there's such a great story behind my friendship with Tracie Davis. We were destined to be friends forever. Tracie and I were pot-luck roommates at A&M our freshman year of college. We came together from two completely different worlds and became fast friends. We ended up living together for two years and as luck would have it both attended the same dental school in San Antonio. Then we ended up marrying two med school friends and I guess the rest is history. We have always kept in touch even when we were as far apart as Seattle & St. Louis. And now that we are so much closer (they live in Southlake) we get to see each other more often. Did I mention they have the sweetest little boy ever? Needless to say, they will always be our dear friends. Thanks Davis'-we had a great day by the pool and enjoyed hanging out!

Gaby & Drew

Roasting marshmellows for smores:)

Progress

I know you've been waiting with bated breath to see how the "Gaby Goes to Preschool" drama has unfolded. Just kidding- I know your lives have much more important things going on. But at the Holt Casa, it was all-consuming yesterday. And the great news is that Gaby not only survived but actually, maybe, possibly enjoyed herself yesterday. Hard to tell, but the good news is there were minimal tears (even with the other kids crying!). Unless, of course, the staff is lying to us?? Hope not. Anyway, Thank you, Mr. Bunny & paci! Patty took Gaby to school, hung out with her for about 30 minutes, told her she was leaving, Gaby said no, Patty waited a few more minutes and said she was leaving again and that time Gaby said "bye-bye". Yeah!!! Progress. She hung out for a couple of hours and then Patty brought her home for lunch and naptime. Babysteps. I think the whole napping with other kids around, on the floor will be a another adventure in itself, so we'll progress slowly. Hope she feels the same when mommy drops her off. We'll find out next Tuesday. Stay tuned....

My Super Waterbaby !

Gaby's swim lesson this morning went sooo much better! She cried just a few times but only a little and swam awesome! She learned very quickly that if she cooperates there are gummy bears in her future. Guess she got mommy's sweet tooth :) As the class progressed, I kept taking steps backwards to get farther way from her. Eventually, I'll be behind the glass in the dry room. I'm pretty proud of my cutie! Makes me optimistic about preschool. I read this great article about separation anxiety yesterday and learned that I did a few things wrong:

1. I didn't say goodbye to Gaby- I just sneaked off. My thinking was I didn't want to make a production of it.
2. I need to give her something from home- Mr. Bunny, of course.
3. I need to explain in great detail where we're going and what we're doing. I told her but apparently I need to really explain it all.

The article also said that when the primary caregiver isn't the one dropping the kid off, sometimes they don't react so much. Tomorrow, Patty will drop her off. So we'll see how it goes. Wish us luck :)

Sheer & Utter Torture

Water-boarding? No problem. Ripping out my toenails? Easy. Dropping Gaby off at preschool? The worst form of torture known to man!! And I didn't even really drop her off. I managed to hide in another room and only left her in the classroom for about an hour and a half. As I listened with a heavy, heavy heart as my poor child cried her little heart out- I was in hell. There were three other screaming, crying little ones (that didn't help!) and one unfortunate teacher to deal with all of them. I'm not sure how those other parents just left their kids there. I was the only freak still hanging around not able to let go. But I just feel like she'll be scarred for life. A minute of crying is like a lifetime when you're that little. Isn't it? There were a few moments of peace in there. But then, one would get going and the others would follow suit. So, I only lasted an hour and a half and then I went to save my sweet baby who was eternally grateful for my rescue. She did that sad little whimpering, unable to catch her breath cry as we drove back home. Should I take her back? That is the question. Am I strong enough? That is the real question.



Gaby this morning during happier times. Ready to go to school with her new lunch bag. :)

Historic Gruene

We have the cutest little town about 45 minutes away from us- Gruene, TX. It's right past San Marcos before San Antonio.

The San Marcos river runs through it and it's a prime spot for tubing down the river. Once Gaby gets a little older we plan on showing her what that's all about. So today, we had a Holt Family Labor Day outing and went to Gruene to walk around and have a yummy chicken fried steak lunch at the Gristmill (one of Byron's favorite places).

It was a beautiful day to stroll around and check out the cute shops. We had a nice, quiet Labor Day:) Hope you did too!

Pretty flowers

Dell Children's Hospital

We took a tour of Dell Children's Hospital this weekend. This is where Byron does alot of his work-AKA-This is the place that takes him away from us so much!

The very cool moving sculpture in the lobby...

The Cath Lab- Where all the magic happens :)

This is the first free-standing children's hospital in Austin and it happened to open the month before we moved here. I hadn't gotten a chance to visit yet since we moved, so we took the whole gang for a tour. It is really an impressive place- so new and shiny! I know Byron loves what he does and feels so lucky to have such a beautiful place to do his very important work.

MawMaw

Gaby had a very special visitor this weekend. Mimi & Papa brought over Gaby's great grandmother! We were so priviledged to have MawMaw come all the way to Austin to visit us from Louisiana. Since my grandma lives all the way in Colombia, it is so lovely to see Gaby get to spend time with one of her great grandmas.

Gaby's Chicken Dance :)