Go Jayhawks!

Gabrielle (our little Energizer bunny who rarely stops moving) followed daddy's example and actually sat down to watch the KU game Sunday afternoon (for a couple of minutes).

Nick got pretty excited over the game...the last few seconds were especially tense. Gabrielle was also celebrating that they won after she saw that daddy was sooo excited!

Bathtime fun

We hadn't taken any pictures of Gabrielle in the bathtub lately. So I had Nick get the camera out the other night to take a few shots of her playing with her new toys from Easter...some ducks, a mini watering can, and a bucket to store them in (from each of the 3 grandmas seperately) and a water-proof book from Nick and I (yeah for the $1 Target isle!).

Video again?

Here's another try at a video...hope you enjoy!

Stubborn girl

Gabi got herself into her toy box in the livingroom the other day (it's actually an ottoman without the lid on it--and it matches our furniture too). But, as you can see from the next shot, she was having a little bit of difficuty getting herself out. I think that she might grow up to be claustrophobic like me because she usually screams when she gets herself stuck somewhere.

Just a couple of pictures of our precious daughter in "Time Out". Yes, we are using the toy walker because that seems like the only place to contain her that doesn't involve my lap right now, and she can't move in it on our carpet anymore. I'm trying to teach her that when I say "no" that I really do mean it.

Today she was pulling things out of the silverware drawer, and after returning the pie server and butter knife to their rightful places the third time, I thought that she was "due" for one minute in the walker. She doesn't seem to mind it all that much usually, so hopefully I am getting my point across (except today she bawled her head off...ugh!). If anyone else has any ideas or suggestions on what might work, I would gratefully take some advice in this area.

I love my baby!

Aunt Katherine gave Gabrielle this doll for Christmas (we named her "baby"--genius, I know!). Up until last week, she's played with it a couple of times, but it seems like this week she's really decided to take her wherever she goes in our house. I even saw her "patting" her back the other day and giving her kisses on her face...what a "little mommy" Gabrielle is becoming!

Notice that Baby is upside-down as she goes to her room! :)

Of course I couldn't finish this post without saying how much we love our "baby" too! Gabrielle actually smiled at the camera this time when we had the timer on instead of looking at one of us--yeah!

All my Easter bunnies

Gabrielle got quite a few bunnies for Easter. Nick and I gave her Big Nutbrown and Little Nutbrown bunnies (on the bottom right) that go with the book "I Love You This Much"--one of my favorites to read to her.

You would think that it was still Easter at our house. Gabi loves carrying her basket around as well as taking the little plastic eggs out and putting them back in again. Who needs to spend lots of money on toys?

Easter with family in Wichita

Wow, what a weekend! We fit in a couple of meals with friends Kim & Joe and Joey and Amanda. The rest of the time was spent with family...

a lot to pack into just a few days.

We split up the traveling to Wichita between Wednesday night and Thursday morning again for this trip.

My parents came down to Wichita on Saturday for a little shopping

(they bought a flatscreen TV and I got some clothes).

We met up at Nick's mom's house for supper.

My mom wrestling with Gabi.

My dad getting in some play time too.

Since we aren't planning on seeing our families again before Gabrielle's birthday, my parents gave her gift to her a little early--a personalized wooden step-stool (like my paternal grandpa made for me when I was a little girl).

Gabi trying to figure out her new "toy".

One last picture with my parents before they left to drive back to Nebraska.

Grandma Debbie (Nick's mom) with Gabi and her dog, Jazzy.

Tyler (Nick's nephew) getting in a little play time with Gabi too...as you can tell she was starting to get a little tired by this point in the evening.

Gabrielle trying to figure Uncle Terry out...

One minute the coaster tastes pretty good...

The next minute things aren't going so well on Aunt Stacy's lap (not her fault...obviously it surprised her too!).

After church on Easter Sunday we went to Steve and Muriel's home for a wonderful lunch. Gabi left her sunglasses on for enough time to take a cute "girls" picture this time! :)

Playing with her new stuffed bunnies on Uncle Steve's lap.

Gabi really liked the plastic Easter eggs...just big enough to put into her mouth, brightly colored to look at, they spin on the table,

and she even figured out how to take them apart!

Checking out one of Aunt Muriel's canaries in the cage.

Hanging out with Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Judy Walker.

Judy's family came over on Easter Sunday for tan evening meal. Here are cousins Karis, Braden, and Randi after their egg hunt outside.

Gabi holding the yellow ballerina-bunny that her cousin Randi gave her for Easter while cousin Mikayla plays with her.

On the road again...this time on the way home. For the first time on Monday we did the whole trip in one day--9 hours of drive time only took us 11.5 hours total with all our stops. Not too bad! And, I was glad to start back into our routine Tuesday morning (although I am already looking forward to being back in Wichita the first week of July too).

So much fun at home

Learning how to open the cabinet and pull out all the DVDs...

what an honory grin!

One of the first times she clapped by herself

(the green clothes were for St. Patrick's Day last week).

Getting into the kitchen drawers. The green saran wrap makes a fun toy!

I thought that Gabrielle was trying to imitate an elephant! :)

Safe in Daddy's arms

It's so amazing to me how fast our little girl has grown over the last (almost) year! I thought I would add an entry today about girls and their daddies. Nick is a wonderful daddy, and his heart melts now every time Gabrielle says anything close to "dah-dah" or "daddy". It's so wonderful to watch their relationship grow...especially the great big smile she has on her face when he comes home from work! Here's a couple of pictures from this past Sunday afternoon. But, I also couldn't resist adding a couple of pictures from when Gabi was first born. She must love her daddy a lot.

Just a final thought...I was looking at these pictures and imagining us doing the same thing with Jesus. When we fully trust Him (which at times seems so hard to do), we are able to relax in His arms and grow in our spiritual lives the way He meant for us to do. Happy Easter!

Yes, another try at video

Here's one more try at attaching a video to our blog...hopefully this one will be better than the last! Sorry--I'm still learning too! :)

Playing with my toys

Just thought that I would share a few of our "day-to-day" moments that Gabrielle and I have during the week. She is getting pretty good at playing by herself for short periods of time, and there are several toys that make her "Top 10 List". She started clapping for the first time today, so hopefully I can get a good shot of that for another blog entry later!