Christmas with the Walker family

These pictures are from our Christmas gatering with Nick's dad and Judy.

Meeting my cousin Jaycee (who is only a month older than Gabi). Jaycee is the daughter of Nick's first cousin, Angie.

Look, we're playing nicely together (mostly)!

Ooo...look, another bow and wrapping paper to eat, I mean, tear off. :)

Nick looking totally enthused that Gabi got a purple outfit (and a green one too) from Grandpa & Grandma Walker.

A good group shot of some of the family and friends laughing while we were doing our White Elephant Exchange. Nick ended up with a Matchbox car, and I got a $20 gift card to Quick Trip, which we already used for gas on our way down to Texas.

Playing with uncle Nick before bedtime.

Christmas with the Martins

Here are some of the pictures from the time we spent at Nick's mom and Frank's house in Wichita. Gabi was really good with their cat and dog...here's a couple of the cute ones!

Gabi sitting with Nick's uncle Steve (Debbie's brother) and aunt Muriel for Sunday lunch.

Opening a "touch-n-feel" book given to her from daddy and mommy about the Christmas story.

Concentrating on ripping more wrapping paper off from the toy walker from Steve & Muriel.

Grandpa Frank reading me a book about "The Night Before Cat-mas".

Gabi playing with Aunt Stacy (Nick's half-sister).

Posing for pictures with Grandma Martin.

One of the good family pictures we took after the Christmas Eve church service.

Our Christms trip

Gabi did a pretty good job in the car during our trip. There were a few times that I had to hop to the backseat, but it's sure a lot easier to do that in our minivan!!! We even stopped off at a McDonald's for lunch on the way up to Wichita, and Gabi enjoyed the play area. I think that Nick enjoyed it too (after he got over the boys that were eating next to us who had no socks/shoes on and were throwing their pickles on the floor...gross!)

Gabi's first Christmas gift

So, this weekend I convinced Nick that we should each open a Christmas gift from each other so that we didn't have to take them all with us to KS/NE. I got a purse and some chocolates, Nick got three shirts, and Gabi got a shape sorter. At first, she was was more excited about the wrapping paper, but now she plays with the singing "cookie jar" every day.

Here's a few "bonus" pictures that we took this weekend.

Doesn't Gabi look great in red? :)

Messy but cute!

Since we had some success with the Gerber puffs last week, I thought we would try the Gerber "Biter Biscuits". As you can see from the pictures, she liked to eat these too, although we learned that we'll need to use a bib next time. And, once again, Nick and I ate a HOT meal together! :) The last picture shows Gabi's new thing for the week--wrinkling up her nose to laugh/smile at us...one of Nick's new "favorite" things!

Trying to be helpful...

I was emptying out the dishwasher this week when Gabrielle crawled into the kitchen to "help" me. At first I told her "no" and put her back on the floor several times. But, then I decided that every kid needs at least one picture in the dishwasher...

She also thought that it would be a good idea to "help" me with my shoestrings. Too bad she likes to untie them instead of helping me keep them tied.

Double Trouble (and 8 months old today)

Gabi's learned to "double-fist" her toys...when she gets tired of one, the other toy gets chewed on for a while, and then switched out again.

I think that she's trying to find all her pacifiers, and stash them away for when she may need them (or at least when she thinks she needs them).

I was getting dressed the other day, and let Gabi crawl around our bedroom. She obviously climbed up to our standing mirror, and I thought these pictures were just toooo cute!

Sunday Times

We've "mastered" using the timer on our digital camera. So, I couldn't resist taking another family picture before church, especially since we were all wearing brown clothes.

We tried feeding Gabi some of those Gerber fruit puffs for the first time. At first she wasn't for sure what she was supposed to do with them.

But, just like most everything else, she tried sticking them in her mouth. Then she gave us a "yucky" face, which I think was mostly due to a new texture she was unsure about.

At the end of lunch, Nick and I figured out that we could eat our food while it was hot with little distraction. AND, Gabi started to get used to them and actually enjoy their taste too.

Good times with mommy...

Gabrielle and I get to spend a lot of time together, and we have lots of fun during the week. Here's a few pictures we hope you enjoy!

Gabrielle likes her toy cel phone that Grandma Martin bought for her. It makes all kinds of sounds, including "hello" and "goodbye", which are her favorite! Sometimes though, it just tastes better than anything...

I hope that this is a hint of what the future might hold for her! :)

Gabi likes to give me kisses (open mouthed for now) on my cheek...it's quite slobbery, but I do enjoy them a lot anyway!!!