Thursday, July 30, 2009
Gabrielle's 1st Year
I'm a little late posting this, but I wanted to post Gabrielle's newborn photo through 12 months!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
15 Months!
I'm a couple days late posting Gabrielle's 15th month entry because we have so much fun during the day I sometimes don't even turn my computer on for several days in a row. Gabrielle had her 15 month check-up yesterday. She stills weighs 20 lbs., but she is 2 inches taller. So much for 'baby fat'. She is tall and skinny for her age. If you have seen her recently, you would notice how much taller she looks. She is growing like a WEED!
We have had a lot of fun this past month. TONS of play dates! The last week in June we had a play date everyday. Boy, was I tired. Gabrielle loves going to the park. She is so coordinated. She runs all over the place including UP the slides. That is one of her favorite things to do.
A couple of updates from last month. I had mentioned that Gabrielle likes to throw food. Well, now she will throw something and then look at us with a huge smile and shake her finger at us. It is so funny, but I don't let her see me smile:) Last month she perfected her owl sound, which she still does, but now likes to "woof" and "vroom."
Her new favorite words are, "Apple," and "Garbage," (what is it with garbage?? She still loves the garbage can, the garbage trucks going by-even though she is terrified of them and clings to my leg, putting things into the garbage--we hardly even have any garbage because we recycle pretty much everything! I am trying to shift the focus to the recycle bag, but it's not shiny and doesn't have a cool foot pedal! LOL) She also loves to say "Hi" to pretty much everyone (especially at church) and she also says "Oct-TOE"--obviously referring to her purple octopus bath toy:) She is pretty good at letter sounds. She has this fun little phonics "computer" and she is really good at repeating letter sounds. I am so impressed. Gabrielle also has starting singing along now with her Alphabet Dog and Singalong Puppy, in addition to her dance moves. She likes to hold her arm up and bob it up and down to the beat when she doesn't feel like breaking out all her moves.
We also had a wonderful vacation to Houghton Lake over the 4th of July. We might just have to make it a tradition. Grandma and Grandpa Sexton joined us for the week which made it even more fun! We stayed on a cottage right on the lake, so it was easy for Poppy to take the jet-ski out whenever he wanted. Gabrielle even got to go for a ride on his "boat" which she LOVED. She also had a fun time in her zebra boat and going for lots of stroller rides. We had such a great time that we are going back the first week in August!
I think that's about it. Happy summer still!
@ the park
Play dates = Great Naps!
Gabrielle loves her sandbox
@Houghton Lake
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!
We have had a lot of fun this past month. TONS of play dates! The last week in June we had a play date everyday. Boy, was I tired. Gabrielle loves going to the park. She is so coordinated. She runs all over the place including UP the slides. That is one of her favorite things to do.
A couple of updates from last month. I had mentioned that Gabrielle likes to throw food. Well, now she will throw something and then look at us with a huge smile and shake her finger at us. It is so funny, but I don't let her see me smile:) Last month she perfected her owl sound, which she still does, but now likes to "woof" and "vroom."
Her new favorite words are, "Apple," and "Garbage," (what is it with garbage?? She still loves the garbage can, the garbage trucks going by-even though she is terrified of them and clings to my leg, putting things into the garbage--we hardly even have any garbage because we recycle pretty much everything! I am trying to shift the focus to the recycle bag, but it's not shiny and doesn't have a cool foot pedal! LOL) She also loves to say "Hi" to pretty much everyone (especially at church) and she also says "Oct-TOE"--obviously referring to her purple octopus bath toy:) She is pretty good at letter sounds. She has this fun little phonics "computer" and she is really good at repeating letter sounds. I am so impressed. Gabrielle also has starting singing along now with her Alphabet Dog and Singalong Puppy, in addition to her dance moves. She likes to hold her arm up and bob it up and down to the beat when she doesn't feel like breaking out all her moves.
We also had a wonderful vacation to Houghton Lake over the 4th of July. We might just have to make it a tradition. Grandma and Grandpa Sexton joined us for the week which made it even more fun! We stayed on a cottage right on the lake, so it was easy for Poppy to take the jet-ski out whenever he wanted. Gabrielle even got to go for a ride on his "boat" which she LOVED. She also had a fun time in her zebra boat and going for lots of stroller rides. We had such a great time that we are going back the first week in August!
I think that's about it. Happy summer still!
@ the park
Play dates = Great Naps!
Gabrielle loves her sandbox
@Houghton Lake
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!
Friday, June 12, 2009
14 Months!
This has been the best month yet! And it didn't go by quickly at all! How wonderful is that?!
Gabrielle is such a smart and funny little girl. I think she gets about 90% of what we say; she just can't respond in decipherable words. She says "Amen," "Apple juice," and "Bless you." It's so cute because at dinner when Adam and I take turns saying 'Grace' she can tell by our voices when we are about to say "Amen." She'll sometimes beat us to it!
When I ask her what an owl says she'll say, 'Whoooooo, Whoooooo!' She has two owl puppets, owl jammies, books with owl pictures, and we have an owl decoy in the garage. Imitating an owl is her first official animal noise.
She knows the names of all her toys and she will go and get whatever we ask for. She also knows different foods and gets excited at the prospect of some of them. She is definitely a veggie girl. She loves green beans and broccoli. She kept asking for more tonight and ate half a bowl of green beans. She doesn't care for bread or meat.
While sitting in her highchair, she chucks those unwanted items across the room. It's amazing how far they go!
She was so funny the other day when I left the fridge open and walked away for a second. She went a grabbed a pint of blueberries, stuck her hand inside, and had a little snack. I caught her "blue-handed" and took a picture. See below.
The week before school was out for me, Grandma and Grandpa Sexton took her to the farm at Kensington. I was able to meet them there on my way home from work. Talk about some good ol'fashioned fun. Gabrielle had great time seeing all those animals live and in person. She loves to imitate animals noises. I like how she tries to "Baa!" She got to see a calf, piglets and pigs, bunnies, goats, chickens, and horses. We will definitely be going back!
We have also been having fun outside the house. Gabrielle loves sidewalk chalk and bubbles. We went to the neighborhood garage sale and found a play house, teeter totter, sandbox, slide, and climbing gym. (All for $60-what a steal!) That's in addition to the slide/climber combo we purchased before. Our back yard is PLAYLAND! It is so fun. We play out there for hours! She is pretty coordinated. She can climb up on the gym and get down going frontwards. I am so impressed. She cries when we have to go in. We love our little outdoorsy girl. Mama just got a jogger stroller, too, so no more boring treadmill:)
Tonight when we put her to bed, she grabbed her binky, walked up to her crib, and waved bye-bye to us. We put her in her crib and that was that!
Stay tuned for more summertime adventures!!
Gabrielle's 1st campfire at G/G Sexton's
Wearing Mama's Socks
Gabrielle loves Curious George.
Wearing Poppy's (old) Oakley's
Loungin' in the backyard
The Blueberry Thief!
G. loves to press all the buttons and turn all the dials in Mommy's Jetta
Having fun w/ sidewalk chalk
Gabrielle is such a smart and funny little girl. I think she gets about 90% of what we say; she just can't respond in decipherable words. She says "Amen," "Apple juice," and "Bless you." It's so cute because at dinner when Adam and I take turns saying 'Grace' she can tell by our voices when we are about to say "Amen." She'll sometimes beat us to it!
When I ask her what an owl says she'll say, 'Whoooooo, Whoooooo!' She has two owl puppets, owl jammies, books with owl pictures, and we have an owl decoy in the garage. Imitating an owl is her first official animal noise.
She knows the names of all her toys and she will go and get whatever we ask for. She also knows different foods and gets excited at the prospect of some of them. She is definitely a veggie girl. She loves green beans and broccoli. She kept asking for more tonight and ate half a bowl of green beans. She doesn't care for bread or meat.
While sitting in her highchair, she chucks those unwanted items across the room. It's amazing how far they go!
She was so funny the other day when I left the fridge open and walked away for a second. She went a grabbed a pint of blueberries, stuck her hand inside, and had a little snack. I caught her "blue-handed" and took a picture. See below.
The week before school was out for me, Grandma and Grandpa Sexton took her to the farm at Kensington. I was able to meet them there on my way home from work. Talk about some good ol'fashioned fun. Gabrielle had great time seeing all those animals live and in person. She loves to imitate animals noises. I like how she tries to "Baa!" She got to see a calf, piglets and pigs, bunnies, goats, chickens, and horses. We will definitely be going back!
We have also been having fun outside the house. Gabrielle loves sidewalk chalk and bubbles. We went to the neighborhood garage sale and found a play house, teeter totter, sandbox, slide, and climbing gym. (All for $60-what a steal!) That's in addition to the slide/climber combo we purchased before. Our back yard is PLAYLAND! It is so fun. We play out there for hours! She is pretty coordinated. She can climb up on the gym and get down going frontwards. I am so impressed. She cries when we have to go in. We love our little outdoorsy girl. Mama just got a jogger stroller, too, so no more boring treadmill:)
Tonight when we put her to bed, she grabbed her binky, walked up to her crib, and waved bye-bye to us. We put her in her crib and that was that!
Stay tuned for more summertime adventures!!
Gabrielle's 1st campfire at G/G Sexton's
Wearing Mama's Socks
Gabrielle loves Curious George.
Wearing Poppy's (old) Oakley's
Loungin' in the backyard
The Blueberry Thief!
G. loves to press all the buttons and turn all the dials in Mommy's Jetta
Having fun w/ sidewalk chalk
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
THANK YOU, MOM!
The school year officially came to an end yesterday, and that means that my mom just got laid off from her full time job.
Well, this mandatory time off will be good for her because as most of you know, my mom has been our full-time nanny this year. She has come to our house everyday, month after month, every morning at 7 am, to take care of Gabrielle. Never once, not even a little bit, did she ever seem tired or burned out or grumpy or (gasp!) bored.(Bored is not in my mother’s vocabulary—she has never been bored since the day I met her!) She represents the epitome of love when it comes to Gabrielle. In fact, in about March, she told me she felt like she had been on the job for only a week! Incredible! Yesterday, she was telling me how quickly the year flew by. (Not for me!)
The truth is, my mom loves taking care of Gabrielle, and she feels very privileged that she was able to do so. She’s retired. She only lives 15 minutes away. It really worked out perfectly. (I hope I can someday babysit for Gabrielle’s kids. I plan to retire when I’m 48, so that’s a nice thought.) So how do you thank someone who has done so much for you? It’s tough because what really equals everything she has done for us? She does laundry, puts meals together, makes beds, cleans up the clutter, AND gives Gabrielle 100% of her time, attention, and most importantly, her love. They really adore each other. I don’t have to worry at all when I'm at work. Never, ever. How do you put a price on that? It’s impossible. Gabrielle learns new things with grandma. They bird watch. They play. They read. They are outside pretty much all the time. My mom has never turned on the TV. Everyday when I get home around 2:45, I get the run-down of all the events of the day--always a lot of fun.
So you’re starting to see how great she is….She deserves a vacation, weekly massages, really she deserves *everything* for what she has done for Adam and Gabrielle and I.
THANK YOU, MOM! From the bottom of our hearts!
We love you!
Colleen, Adam, and Gabrielle
xoxoxooxoxoxox
**CORRECTION! After reading this post, my mom informed me that she did turn on the TV...to watch the inauguration of President Obama. (She wanted to be able to tell Gabrielle that she witnessed history being made.)It's ok, mom, really, that was a very good reason! LOL ;)
Gabrielle + Grandma = Best Buds
This picture just sums it all up! How precious is this?!
Gabrielle loves Grandma!
Well, this mandatory time off will be good for her because as most of you know, my mom has been our full-time nanny this year. She has come to our house everyday, month after month, every morning at 7 am, to take care of Gabrielle. Never once, not even a little bit, did she ever seem tired or burned out or grumpy or (gasp!) bored.(Bored is not in my mother’s vocabulary—she has never been bored since the day I met her!) She represents the epitome of love when it comes to Gabrielle. In fact, in about March, she told me she felt like she had been on the job for only a week! Incredible! Yesterday, she was telling me how quickly the year flew by. (Not for me!)
The truth is, my mom loves taking care of Gabrielle, and she feels very privileged that she was able to do so. She’s retired. She only lives 15 minutes away. It really worked out perfectly. (I hope I can someday babysit for Gabrielle’s kids. I plan to retire when I’m 48, so that’s a nice thought.) So how do you thank someone who has done so much for you? It’s tough because what really equals everything she has done for us? She does laundry, puts meals together, makes beds, cleans up the clutter, AND gives Gabrielle 100% of her time, attention, and most importantly, her love. They really adore each other. I don’t have to worry at all when I'm at work. Never, ever. How do you put a price on that? It’s impossible. Gabrielle learns new things with grandma. They bird watch. They play. They read. They are outside pretty much all the time. My mom has never turned on the TV. Everyday when I get home around 2:45, I get the run-down of all the events of the day--always a lot of fun.
So you’re starting to see how great she is….She deserves a vacation, weekly massages, really she deserves *everything* for what she has done for Adam and Gabrielle and I.
THANK YOU, MOM! From the bottom of our hearts!
We love you!
Colleen, Adam, and Gabrielle
xoxoxooxoxoxox
**CORRECTION! After reading this post, my mom informed me that she did turn on the TV...to watch the inauguration of President Obama. (She wanted to be able to tell Gabrielle that she witnessed history being made.)It's ok, mom, really, that was a very good reason! LOL ;)
Gabrielle + Grandma = Best Buds
This picture just sums it all up! How precious is this?!
Gabrielle loves Grandma!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
In Memory of Grandma...
Today was my Grandma's memorial service. It was really beautiful, and my Grandma would have been very pleased. In memory of my Grandma, I am posting my favorite pictures of Gabrielle with her Great-Grandma from the past year. Gabrielle always brought a smile to Grandma's face, no matter what!
Gabrielle's 1st Visit
On Mother's Day 2008
Grandma holding Gabrielle in her baptismal gown
Grandma making Gabrielle laugh (or vice versa!)
My personal favorite--and one of my most prized possessions...The FOUR Generations!
Here is that last four generation photo taken on February 28, 1981. 28 years ago! I am so glad to have this picture!
Gabrielle's 1st Visit
On Mother's Day 2008
Grandma holding Gabrielle in her baptismal gown
Grandma making Gabrielle laugh (or vice versa!)
My personal favorite--and one of my most prized possessions...The FOUR Generations!
Here is that last four generation photo taken on February 28, 1981. 28 years ago! I am so glad to have this picture!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
13 Months!
Just because I said I wasn't emailing pics anymore, doesn't mean that I don't want to share all the latest and greatest shots of my favorite little girl! It's just a habit now to chronicle all the events and milestones. I will be updating this blog monthly with all things Gabrielle, and we'll see where it might go. I never thought I would jump on the blog bandwagon, but this might be fun.
Overall, this month actually flew by! (For those of you who know me, I NEVER say that!) 5 days after Easter, my beloved grandma passed away at the age of 92. Even though she had a long, long life, it's a sad realization that I can no longer go and visit her. I am so grateful that grandma got to see Gabrielle so much, and I have many cherished pictures of the two of them together. Gabrielle was the one thing that would bring a smile to her face and a twinkle to her eyes! I will post pictures of the two of them at a later date.
On a happier note, Gabrielle got to play with her Grandpapa who came to visit from California. She had a wonderful time with him. They were best buds, which is a good testament to my dad and his incredible skill with babies. She doesn't always warm up to people right away. Good job, dad! Another piece of huge news...She also learned to WALK on May 8th! Now she walks all around and is getting pretty good at it. She toddles around with her arms out in front of her. I hear the pitter-patter of little steps now. Pretty cute if I do say so myself.
Gabrielle is very curious about the garbage can. See pic below. She also is very intrigued by the toilet. She chucked her shoe in last week, but Mommy wouldn't flush it;) She has also perfected her waving skills--hello and goodbye. She also LOVES swinging. She goes to the park all the time and getting her off the swings is nearly impossible. I bought a baby swing for our house which was a major hit. Adam hung it up and she played on it for well over an hour!
Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading. Have a great day and check back in a month or so!
Overall, this month actually flew by! (For those of you who know me, I NEVER say that!) 5 days after Easter, my beloved grandma passed away at the age of 92. Even though she had a long, long life, it's a sad realization that I can no longer go and visit her. I am so grateful that grandma got to see Gabrielle so much, and I have many cherished pictures of the two of them together. Gabrielle was the one thing that would bring a smile to her face and a twinkle to her eyes! I will post pictures of the two of them at a later date.
On a happier note, Gabrielle got to play with her Grandpapa who came to visit from California. She had a wonderful time with him. They were best buds, which is a good testament to my dad and his incredible skill with babies. She doesn't always warm up to people right away. Good job, dad! Another piece of huge news...She also learned to WALK on May 8th! Now she walks all around and is getting pretty good at it. She toddles around with her arms out in front of her. I hear the pitter-patter of little steps now. Pretty cute if I do say so myself.
Gabrielle is very curious about the garbage can. See pic below. She also is very intrigued by the toilet. She chucked her shoe in last week, but Mommy wouldn't flush it;) She has also perfected her waving skills--hello and goodbye. She also LOVES swinging. She goes to the park all the time and getting her off the swings is nearly impossible. I bought a baby swing for our house which was a major hit. Adam hung it up and she played on it for well over an hour!
Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading. Have a great day and check back in a month or so!
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