Gabriella's 1st Birthday Ladybug Party

Gabriella's 1st birthday party was great!-even better than I had envisoned. All the hard work and help really paid off. She had a blast as did our guests. We had a variety of delicious food, cute cupcakes, and an awesome ladybug cake that my sister got for Miss G. Its not true that 1 year olds don't enjoy their party cause Gabriella did. Here are some pcitures to show~Enjoy!

To be continued......

Happy Fall

My favorite time of year is here! Of course in Texas it won't feel like "Fall" just yet. This is one of the things I mostly miss about growing up in Michigan. Fall weather is beautiful up North, especially around the lakes. The Fall weather really puts me in really good spirits. I love, love Fall! These are just a few reasons why:

Happy 1st Birthday Sweet Girl

Dear Gabriella,

One year ago today I received the biggest most beautiful blessing, the day you were born. You are such an amazing little girl and I am so proud to call you my daughter. You have given me the honor to be a "Mom", your mom and you have taught more about myself and about life than I ever imagined. I loved you since the day I first found out about you, but when I held you in my arms for the first time my love for you multiplied in an instant.

The past year has been the most amazing, difficult, beautiful, and rewarding year of my life. I remember when you were so tiny and fragile when we first brought you home, I remember your first smile and coos and the first time you rolled over. Daddy and I make a huge deal with every milestone and I want the entire world to know how awesome you are. I remember when all you wanted to do is fall asleep on my chest and although you don't like to cuddle as much you still rub my hair to soothe you. We thought you were so grown up the first time you sat up, but now you walk every where.  You are quite independent even at your young age. I love to hear you say Mama and I love to feed you your favorite foods (blueberry pancakes). I love to see your big smile and hear you laugh when we tickle you. I love everything about you Gabriella.

You have brought so much more meaning to our families lives. Holidays are much more special and birthdays and family gatherings are extra joyful since you're around. I want you to always know that I love you and I will always support you in every single thing you do. I want you to dream big and continue to be an amazing little girl. This is only the beginning Sweet Girl, the best is yet to come. Happy 1st Birthday Gabriella Reese.

I love you from here to the sky and back,
Momma

I'm back!

I've taken a hiatus from the blogging world and I will blame it on the summer break. I was pretty busy with Gabriella this summer along with vacations,packing,selling our home, among other things (err, I need to stop making excuses). I'm back though! Tomorrow Gabriella turns 1 and I need to continue to document all her little happenings through the blog. Which by the way, she's walking! She started walking days after she turned 11 months, and in all honestly she attempts to run. Her Daddy says she's going to be a runner in no time.

I'm in full blown party mode for this upcoming weekend...pictures to come. I really need to take about an entire week to work on my blog and update the million pictures I took this summer of our trips to Miami and Vegas, trips to The Children's Museum, swimming, baseball games, etc. I will try my best. Until next time, and it won't be 3 months from now. I promise.

San Antonio

We took a short trip to San Antonio in the middle of the week last week so hubby couldn't join us. Karen came home from Cali, so we had a fun girl's trip!

Seaworld, San Antonio

Ready to have fun!

Watching a show

Gabriella was very interested

She loves the water

Pooped-after a fun day!

At our hotel

Sisters at the Riverwalk

Playing Catch Up! Summer Fun~

Wow, its been over a month since I last posted, shame on me! Honestly I blame it on Miss G, she keeps momma on her toes. Since I'm off for the summer I stay pretty busy with her and during her naps I take advantage to do stuff around the house or take a breather. We're doing swimming lessons at the Y, which honestly we just paid to have access to the pool because its pretty much just exposure to the water which Gabriella has had plenty of. She's such a little fish and loves the water! Hubby had been practicing putting her under water and she's quite a little pro at it.
Since I can't go back and post about everything we've been doing I will post pictures. We haven't gone on vacation yet but we will soon. Hubby and I will also be going to Vegas, yess-I've never been. So far we've been to Seaworld in San Antonio, boating, and doing the mommy and baby swimming classes. Hope you enjoy them!

Grandpa's Retirement Party from HFD!

+

Momma's Day

Memorial day, heading to Lake Conroe

At the River, Memorial Day

With Auntie Karina

Our Captain aka Hubbs

Our Anniversary

We celebrate two anniversaries, but today is the most special one. We were married by court on June 17, 2005 while we were planning our wedding set to be on May 20th, 2006. Hubby was scheduled to go back to his duty station and finish up his last few months in the Marine Corps and receive physical therapy. We could not be apart anymore especially after his accident in Iraq so we did the unthinkable. One day he came up with a crazy idea of getting married and having me move to North Carolina with him. Thank god it was during the summer and I was taking classes oneline, so I was able to go with the plan. Two days before  he was set to leave we went to the Justice of the Peace and got married. We count June 17th as the day we got married, but celebrate it on May 20th, the day of our  wedding ceremony confusing I know. This was the day my dad walked me down the aisle, the day I wore my beautiful white dress, the evening that we danced all night long, and then took off to honeymoon in the Carribean the morning after.

We were married at the beautiful St. Paul's Methodist in the Muesum district and had our wedding ceremony at the Marriott galleria. Our wedding song was "Making Memries of Us" by Keith Urban.  We honeymooned in St. Maarten. Everything about our wedding was perfect.

So technically we celebrate today but count June 17th as the initial start of  spending our lives together, does that make sense? June 17th we will make 5 years. We do the traditional wedding gifts to each other to allow us to be creative. The first year was "paper", he got me tickets to vacation in Colorado. For the 5th anniversary its silverware (modern) and wood  (traditional). I'll post pictures of the gift I got him after today. This weekend we're going out in town to celebrate and have a nice dinner. Happy Anniversary to us!

Edit- I have to aw my hubby, he just had delivered a beautiful arrangement of red roses to my job. Although he buys me flowers all the time he never has them delivered. The last time and only other time he did was when I turned 20 in (2001) and we weren't even dating we were just "friends".  It was about that time,lol!

Gabriella is 8 Months!

This means that in 4 months, my baby will be a year old, how is that possible?  Seriously, where did time go and why can't babies stay little for at least 5 years or so, ha! Well Gabriella is quite a smart little lady with such a cheeful personality.  She has hit all her milestones right on time and continues to amaze me every day. A day after she turned 8 months she started crawling and there was no stopping her. This past Saturday she crawled perfectly. Her motivation of course was her daddy at the end of the hallway, she's such a daddy's girl. She continues to say "dada" along with other syllables, she's pulling up, and continunes to sleep through the night. Her new "thing" is to stand up in her crib and scream to get our attention. This of course is when she is ready to wake up in the morning or wakes up from her naps. In food news, her appetite is getting bigger. Although she has liked all the food that we have introduced, she ate like a little bird believe it or not. Her new favorite thing to eat are tiny blueberry panckes made  by daddy with blueberry or apple puree that I make. Other new foodst she has been introduced to are:

Ceam cheese
Mozerella string cheese
Pancakes
Waffles (Earth's Best organic mini)
Bagels
Corn
Acorn Squash
Kiwi
Mango
Papaya
Watermelon
Cilantro white rice
White potatoes
Spaghetti

Along with these

Peas ***
Carrots **
Sweet Potato
Green Beans*
Butternut Squash***
Bananas***
Apples*
Pears*
Peaches**
Avocado**
Yogurt***
Toast**
Chicken noodle soup***
Tiny bits of chicken breast**



I am going to make her first chicken and rice soup this weekend and hope to introduce her to more chunkier foods. I bought chicken breast, organic chicken broth, whole grain brown rice, carrots, peas, squash, celery, and potatoes. I am going to cut everything in teeny-tiny pieces and hope she enjoys it, pictures to come!

Here are some other things Gabriella has been up lately:
Months 7 & 8

Parents.com


Senses: A lovey rules just about now -- the familiar feel and smell of a treasured blankie or teddy is reassuring. Gabiella is not very fond of being covered with a blankie, she kicks it off. She soothes herself with my hair while I'm putting her to sleep.


Body: Your baby gets up on his hands and knees, rocks back and forth, and may even crawl. Gabriella is crawling perfectly! She started crawling at Nana's houseat 8 months, 1 day.


Brain: Your infant has a crude understanding of cause and effect -- for instance, if you let go of something, it will fall. Gabriella has definitely learned about the cause and effect due to gravity, ugh! She drops her toys a million times and expects us to quickly pick them up for her.


Communication Skills: He responds to his name and probably looks up when you say "No!" Time to start setting limits, Boss. Your baby also whines when you take away a toy or (more likely) a forbidden object. Gabriella has known her name for a while now. Even when we're on the phone and say her name she looks up thinking we're talking to her. She gets very upset when you take any forbidden object away from her such as the remote, cell phone, or bottle( when she's spilling milk).


Aww Factor: She's crawling

Fave Toy: Pots, pans, cell phones, remotes - she enjoys the simple things in life and entertains herself with these objects.

"Dada"

"Daaada, Dada, Daadaada"! This is what Gabriella has been babbling nontstop since Friday-Happy Mother's Day to me, ha! It's really sweet though and I love to hear her voice. She seriously goes on and on and on having a "conversation" saying Daaada. She doesn't know that hubby is daada so she still does not refer to him as this, but its sweet nontheless. I however, cannot wait until the day I hear momma:)

Happy Mother's Day, Poem to my Mom

My Incomparable Mother


I often contemplate my childhood, Mom.

I am a mother now, and so I know

Hard work is mixed together with the fun;

You learned that when you raised me long ago.



I think of all the things you gave to me:

Sacrifice, devotion, love and tears,

Your heart, your mind, your energy and soul--

All these you spent on me throughout the years.



You loved me with a never-failing love

You gave me strength and sweet security,

And then you did the hardest thing of all:

You let me separate and set me free.


Every day, I try my best to be

A mother like the mom you were to me.


By Joanna Fuchs

As a mom I know first hand that it isn't an easy task. My mom however always made it look that way. I am blessed to have been guided with the love that my mother gave to me and hope to be just that to Gabriella. It wasn't until I held my own daughter that I even began to comprehend the meaning of a mother's love. Although Gabriella will always know how much I love her she will not truly understand it until she's a mother of her own. Motherhood is such a beautiful thing and I feel blessed as daughter and now a mother. Happy Mother's Day~

She's Pulling Up

I've been meaning to update and feel so bad that I haven't. I haven't even posted her 7-month pictures-bad mommy, bad bad mommy! Anyhow, I just need to update that Gabriella started pulling up last week (7months, 2 weeks). I was lying in her room playing with her and she started to pull herself up on me. Now she pulls herself up from everything! She cannot stay still especially during baths, which is a little scary. Yesterday she crawled for a second. I hope she starts to crawl soon, but that only means we'll be chasing her everywhere!
That's it, just a short post to "document" Gabriella's happenings. Happy Friday!

P.S. Hubby arranged a spa day for me tomorrow, cannot.wait!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

With that said, I'm going to happy hour for fajitas and ritas-yumm!

Our Weekend

Laying out on the boat in her pj's

Hanging out with Daddy while he cleans the yard

Going shopping with Momma

Showing off my jellies