Playhouse Disney LIVE

This past Sunday we took Gabrielle to see Playhouse Disney LIVE! She had a great time, and is still talking about seeing all the characters again. Afterwards we stopped at Carraba's for supper, so we did a little something for everyone! :)

Waiting for the show to start...

We had pretty good seats...

Gabrielle says that we sat "high up".

Eating an icee while we waited.

Cotton candy vendor...may be next time.

Cheeeeeese!

Mickey--yea!

The Little Einsteins dancing.

Off on a mission with Rocket.

Tigger and Pooh

Manny, the Tools, and Mr. Lopar

Tah-dah!

Intermission fun...

Enjoying the last of the icee out of the straw.

When Minnie "arrived" at the show Gabrielle covered her mouth as if she was SO surprised to see her. It was one of the cutest things ever, and I hope I never forget her expression. I wasn't quick enough to get a picture.

Mickey and Friends with Manny.

Tigger and Pooh sharing their song and dance.

Gabrielle really doesn't seem too enthused, but she had a great time. I think she was just "busy" taking it all in at the time!

The whole group dancing together.

I almost got everyone in the picture...close, anyway.

They ended with confetti dropping from the ceiling--neat!

Happy Labor Day (a little late)

On Labor Day we had some friends over for a BBQ. Nick took these pictures of the girls (Gabrielle with her friend, Emmalyn) while he was outside grilling the burgers and hot dogs.

Yeah--someone to ride the glider with Gabrielle!

Swinging away...

Yea! This teeter-totter is a lot more fun with a friend!

Enjoying some brownies after supper and play time.

My little singer

Mommy and Gabrielle ready to go to church.

You might have to turn this up a little to hear her singing some of the Alphabet Song. She's getting better each day, and was even singing part of it the other night when she was going to sleep...melts my heart! :)

Oh, to be naked...

Here are a couple of cute videos from this past week...obviously Gabrielle's into being "nakies" lately. Daddy said that this is only a phase, and must stop in the future! :)

We're going to have to work more on throwing and catching...she does a lot better when she's not sitting down. And, daddy loves the fact that she throws better with her left hand!

Notice there isn't any music playing while she's dancing...this was all very impromptu one day (pulling down her tank top to make a dress and everything)!

Big sister

Thanks to everyone for the prayers while we were going through fertility treatments again down here in Texas. A new doctor means new and different ideas for what medications and routes to take with treatments. So, it's been an interesting ride already with lots of trips to Beaumont and Houston, along with babysitters for Gabrielle (since children aren't allowed in this doctor's office).

Enough said...

Actually, she's really happy about the "BIG NEWS", and has even lifted my shirt up to say "hi" to the baby and give my little tummy a kiss. I think it's adorable, and I almost cried the first time that she did it! She has been consistent about wanting a "siser", so I guess we'll see about that in a few months.

Surprise!!!

1st sonogram on August 17th

6 weeks and 3 days...just a little peanut with a strong heart beat.

2nd sonogram on September 4th

Obviously the baby grew LOTS in the last couple of weeks. The heartbeat was very visible and in the 170's--crazy! Now you can see the head and body in the picture. And, on the screen we were able to see the little arms and legs moving--amazing! The baby is measuring right on target, and is about 2 1/2 centimeters long.

We'll return one last time to the fertility doctor in Houston for another sonogram to make sure everything is growing properly on September 14th. After that, I will be "released" to the OB in Beaumont...hope she's good since I've never even met her yet!

Dancing queen

Everyone knows how big football is to people living in Texas. I didn't know that dance is the equivalent for girls, especially in this area. So, we enrolled Gabrielle in a dance class for 2-year olds. They are just too cute!

Getting ready to go to our first dance class.

A little "cheese"...carrying her backpack with her new dance shoes so we don't get them dirty. :)

Parents had to leave right away, but they let us come in at the end and take pictures. Here's one of their whole class...looks like 10 girls other than Gabrielle...and they're all sooo cute!

Gabrielle with her dance teacher, Ms. Keely.

Gabrielle and one of her friends from church, Emmalyn.

Another one of Gabrielle's friends from church, Raylen.

Playing at the dance bar.

My little "ham" at Quiznos after class.

More "hamming" for the camera.

Of course I had to get a picture with my beautiful girl too!

Mixed emotions

So, Gabrielle started back to Mom's Day Out at our church this week on Tuesdays. I was okay dropping her off, but when I went out running my errands, I kind of missed her. It was just soooo quiet! I did get a lot done (my scrapbook closet was a mess)! But, I missed her just the same. I know that it will be good for us to have a day apart (for her to be with kids her age too).

It was either a "cheeeeese" smile OR....

not looking excited at all.

She really was excited for school, and her first day went fairly well. One of her friends, Sara, is also in that class, so from what I could gather, they played together with the "babies". Can't wait for next week to roll around. May be I'll even get a few scrapbook pages put together!

My lil' cook

Gabrielle loves to help me any time I'm in the kitchen. And the other day was no exception. I was making "runza"...some of you out there call them cabbage pockets or bierocks. Of course, no one here in Texas really knows what they are. Basically it's bread wrapped around ground beef and shredded cooked cabbage. I also add shredded cheese and mushrooms to mine. And, as a "cheat", I use the Grand's biscuits instead of making my own bread--perfect for individual servings.

Gabrielle helping roll the dough.

More dough rolling...

Sealing up the bread after we had put the filling inside.

New toys

Last weekend we drove to China (seriously, it's a small town east of Beaumont) to a little toy-resale shop that we had spotted on our drive to Houston last time. It looked a little run down, and definitely some where I wouldn't have gone by myself. But, we got some great new outdoor toys for Gabrielle for less than half what they would cost if we bought them new!

Gabi's "new" car.

Nick playing with the "new" basketball goal.

More car driving...she did realize it didn't have a seat belt.

Oh, my little type-A child...I told her it was okay just for "her" car.

Putting up a basket while in her car!

Our "new" backyard

We finally bought a swing set for Gabrielle, and Nick put it together over the weekend. I wish I would have taken more pictures with all the pieces laying out in the garage while he was in the process of assembling it. But, it was pretty hot outside, so I was trying to work indoors on other projects.

Gabrielle "helping" daddy outside.

It was sooo bright she even closed her eyes for the picture.

Swing set complete!

Trying out the slide.

And of course, lovin' the swings too!