Merry Christmas

Sweet Snowflake Holiday

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Summertime!

Well, summer is starting to fade into fall.  Even though we didn't get a chance to explore many summer festivals this year Gabbi and I had the best summer ever.  It was full of adventures all the way through.  It seems just yesterday I planned our summer trip and now we are buying school supplies.  What the heck?

Gabbi has grown so much this summer.  She has found her funny bone and her confidence, and together it is a dangerously funny combination.  All summer she has been interested in music and singing.  So far her favs are Annie's Tomorrow, Lady Gaga, Pink, certain Veggietales, some Lion King, other various artists, and most of all Beyonce's Single Ladies.

Can someone please direct me to a talent scout, pageant, or something so the world can see how hilarious she is.  Oh wait, hello YouTube.  :-)

This summer has flown by and we have had so much fun.  Everything from our wonderful vacation, to time at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, from taking in a Seahawks football game, to checking our her preschool!

Gabbi has been the best side kick!  We have had some amazing adventures and created some of the best memories.

The BIG Show

Since Gabbi was just over one she has been going to The Little Gym every week.  Roy and I have been very diligent in taking her and both going as much as we can.  It has been one of the most consistent things in our lives for the last two years.  :-)
We have been by Gabbi's side each time cheering her on, giving high fives, coaching, holding on to little fingers and encouraging her.  It has been such a highlight to watch her grow friendships with her classmates and her skills.
A couple of  weeks ago was Little Gym's big show, the end of the year event!  It is a time to invite friends and family and to take a ton of pictures.  There is even a medal ceremony.

But with this "graduation" comes some sadness.  This Big Show was the last class for us to be on her side of the glass/viewing space.  Now she has graduated to the next level, Funny Bugs, and we are stuck in the lobby in little plastic chairs watching her do her thing.  I was worried that she wouldn't like being away from us, but boy was I wrong, I think we dislike it more.  She is having a blast in the class!  She is trying everything and is getting used to the longer session.  Every now and then she tries a big skill and first thing she does is tell the teacher (who are great), "I have to go tell my mom/dad!"  She comes running to the door near us, and is ready to give us high fives.  We are working on her just coming up to the glass, but I love that she knows we are watching.  We are still taking photos and clapping from our side of the glass.  We will forever be her cheering section!

On her side of the glass vs. not.  Dad is adjusting.  

Our Little Soccer Star!!

To "kick off" the summer Roy and I signed Gabbi up for soccer at Des Moines Park & Recreation.  For the last week she was a "Mini Kicker" and I am so proud of her.

This was her first real sport activity.  Sure we have been involved in Little Gym for over a year, but this is a S-P-O-R-T!  She was super excited the first day.  She was dressed for practice before I left for work on Monday morning and we weren't suppose to be on the field until 5:30pm.  She did great.  She played the games and fell in love with her red, white, and blue soccer ball.  She was a champ at running around the field (even before practice was underway).  All week, every time she did a running drill she would put her hand on her chest and yell, "MOM, MY HEART IS BEATING!!"  She even would run up to me and/or Roy and have us feel it.  She would sometimes tell us that it was pumping her blood to her body.  Such a smarty pants.

Day 2 and Day 3 were a bit more difficult.  On Day 2 she really wasn't into it and we ended up leaving early.  As parents you want so much for your daughter to do well and be a good participant.  I had to change my paradigm pretty quickly and just understand that she is a toddler and this is more about having fun then being the perfect mini kicker.  I felt that the coaches were still getting the hang of working with kiddos, most were just 3 years old like Gabbi.  On Day 3, we opted to just let Gabbi watch and play when she wanted.  It is good idea in theory, but it was still rough.  She loved being outside but really had little interest in participating in the group.  It offered some good photo ops, but little soccer.  She was very entertaining, too.  Gabbi says some the cutest things, that you just don't expect.  She amazes me every day.


Day 4 was so much better and today was just amazing!!  She did so well.  Each day she tried everything.  She was stretching, running, dribbling, kicking some goals and played a great game of red light/green light!  Gabbi really got into it today.  She was excited to go, excited to see her new friend Sophia (she missed her on Day 4, "Where's my friend Phia?"), and excited to play the games.

At the end of today, the coaches handed out certificates.  They called out each name and I was poised with the camera ready.  Next thing I know they call out "Cori Hammock."  Umm...? Wait...what?  That's right, they made me a certificate and not Gabbi.  Well, I enjoyed the awkward moment and just told them to give it to Gabbi.  She was thrilled to show it off.  We will keep it forever either way!  Way to go guy on the phone who took the info over the phone when we registered.

I am very excited to continue to have Gabbi explore different activities these coming years.  I hope she develops a passion for a number of things that she can be proud of.  Roy and I both agree that we do not want to over program her and give her time to be a kid.  This is one of the reasons I liked this camp.  It was only a week long and was a great way to get started.  It was a great way to introduce her to sports and even more kids.  Next endeavor is Little Gym with no parents in the classroom, just her, the other kids, and the teacher.  We'll see how that goes.

Peace.

 

"To Infinity and Beyond!" -Buzz Lightyear

Toy Story 3 came out today!  Gabbi and I were at the first morning showing.  Of course, I had bought the tickets a week ago and we had to see it in 3D.  Gabbi has been to a few movies now, but this was a big one...not just for her, but for me too.  I recall seeing Toy Story in the theater way back when and I was forever hooked.  I have a pretty good size Toy Story collection that I now share with Gabbi so I was very excited to see this installment on the big screen.

Gabbi was adorable and enjoyed her pop corn.  They don't make 3D glasses for kids, which they really should, so most of the movie was spent helping her with them, reminding her to keep them on so her eyes don't hurt, and cleaning them.  She especially loved the first half because she could yell out the names of the characters as they appeared, "It's Woody!!!!" She did this for everyone she new, so you could imagine this went on for awhile.

Gabbi is a lot like me in many ways, but especially when watching movies.  She knows that it is a movie and is not real but she gets very concerned about the characters when they are in trouble.  I love this empathetic quality of hers.  She did great and made it through the whole film.  She did get upset towards the end and now it is all that she can talk about.  Either way it was a fantastic experience.

G is for Gabbi

Gabbi has been very busy, as per usual.  Every day with Gabbi is a chance for a new adventure.  We love to explore our neighborhood and the surrounding areas in and around Seattle.  It is amazing what you can do around here that doesn't cost a dime or is nearly free.

Here are a few examples of our early summer/late spring adventures...

Salt Water Park @ Des Moines

 

Gabbi loves the beach and you really can't stop her at all when she is there.  She is an excellent explorer and will look under every rock for critters and crabbies.  She didn't mind the wind at all.  She took me on quite the tour of the beach and playground.  It was a ton of fun and I am sure we will be visiting this spot a lot this summer!  

Family Day @ South Center

I am always on the look for some free adventures and there are hundreds of tools online.  One of my favorite sites is www.seattleschild.com.  On this site, they offer a calendar of everything!  I have found so many things that are not listed in the paper or well advertised.  One of these adventures was the Family Day at the South Center Mall.  They had games, balloons, coupons, etc.  All summer the mall is hosting family days, special discounts for members (it's free to sign up), movie specials, and more.  On this day they were actually handing out free ride passes for the kids at the carnival in the parking lot.  Gabbi was all over it.  She had to see all the rides before she decided on one.  I thought she would go for the airplanes, but she was all about the motorcycles. The carnival wasn't in the best condition, but it suited her just fine and since we weren't riding anything too wild I was okay with it.  As soon as she got off she wanted more.  Too bad they only gave us one pass.  But we had a great early afternoon out.  Picnic, playing at the mall, carnival ride, and lots of sun shine.   

Claire's Party @ Marysville

We are blessed with a great group of friends.  And a few weekends back we had an opportunity to celebrate with some as they celebrated their daughter's 1st birthday party.  Stephan and I have been friends since high school and it is crazy that we are now grown ups with kids.  His wife, Sarah is great and they have the cutest kids.  Claire was the cutest little girl and loved her little princess cake.  Unfortunately, the party had to be relocated because it was a rainy spring day and the park would have been pretty soggy.  But the party and the fun still went on perfectly.  Gabbi was very excited to get dressed up, eat pizza, and of course eat cake.  She had fun playing with the little kids but was very jealous of the older kids and their video game playing.  

We had bundles of fun and she loved her Word World coloring book that she got for home.  Thanks Kimbrough's for a great day!

Well, that is the update for now.  More to come soon.  

Gabbi is growing so fast and I am trying to take as many pictures as I possibly can to share with our friends and family.  We would love others to join us on our adventures, hint - hint!  

Happy Mother's Day!

My 3rd Mommy's Day was a great one.  It was a train day for us!  

Gabbi and I rode the Light Rail from SeaTac to SODO to meet up with our friends Karen and Parker.  She was heart broken when we had to get off the train.  But once we saw lightning bolts on the sidewalk all was forgiven.  Lightning McQueen is everywhere!


Once we found our friends we took a quick trip to Snoqualmie, WA.  We were able to enjoy a great drive that led to an awesome and relaxing activity.  Did you know that the NW Railway Museum offers train rides?  I didn't.  Did you know that on Mother's Day and Father's Day they offer free rides for the moms and dads when you buy a kiddo ticket?  I didn't.  Luckily, Karen heard this and we took advantage of it.  

We grabbed the train and it took us up to the Snoqualmie Falls.  We weren't able to get out, because frankly there is not place to get out.  The whole train ride took about an hour so it was perfect for the two little ones.  Once we got back to the depot we had a picnic and running around time. Gabbi and I had great company, perfect weather, and the best time!  I have lived in Washington my whole life and I have never seen the falls.  It was pretty cool.  We will certainly be making another trip soon.  

    

If your kiddo is into trains you need to take the trip to Snoqualmie for this little adventure.  You can fit the adventure in between a nap or meal.  Snoqualmie and North Bend are great little places to explore.  

Be sure to check it out, http://www.trainmuseum.org/.  

Today was great, but not just today.  Every moment with Gabbi is fantastic, even when she is being Miss Independent Three Year Old.  I love our adventures.  This weekend was full of them. 

Friday was gorgeous and we decided to take a break and take a quick trip to the beach.  Gabbi loves the beach and you basically have to drag her away.  She is like her dad and can easily get lost in exploring.  I love it when she wants to show me everything, and I mean everything, she comes across.  Later in the evening we celebrated Mother's Day early by inviting Nana over for a very yummy dinner. 

Saturday was full of more fun.  It always is fun when the day starts off with Little Gym.  She looks forward to Little Gym each and every week.  I don't know what we will do when she gets too old for it.  After LG we had a chance to relax before we headed to Grandma Tammy and Grandpa Don's to have them meet Gabbi and to hang out with Sierra and Kaley (and the cutest little baby, Aaliyah).

It was the best Mother's Day/Weekend.  I got to spend the whole time with Gabbi, spend time with my family and my friends.  It was perfect! 

April 26, 2007

For the last three years I have been the most blessed person ever.  I have enjoyed the last 1096 days because they have included Gabbi.  She is the only proof I need that life is great!

At 2:18 a.m. on April 26, 2007 I was woken up by my first contraction.  Less than 12 hours later she was here. It was absolutely magical.  I had been told that I should sleep when she slept, especially that first night while we were still in the hospital.   I didn't sleep a wink for the first 24 hours.  Roy had packed me some of my favorite "Friends" dvds and I had them on in the background all night.  But I never really watched them.  I just watched her. Roy had to endure some sleep on this tiny couch in the room, that they later told us folded out, but then we couldn't get it to work.  I just laid there in the dark room watching her sleep.  She was perfect.  She is perfect.

Fast forward three years...

We got to celebrate her third birthday this weekend.
We hosted a wonderful party at the clubhouse and were surrounded by our friends and family.  She was a hoot.  She was adorable when she had to move her plate/drink to be closer to her friend Caleb.  She was super cute when she saw an ant crashing her party, "Hey, there's a bug at my party."  She would not stop licking icing, on the cake, from the candle, her fingers, etc.

This is Gabbi and her friend Caleb.  Should I be worried that she already wants to hang out with boys?

Kid's birthdays are now how we get to see our friends from high school.  I think it is great that we have been able to stay in touch with such special people.  We went from seeing each other post high school at bars, to at weddings, and now at our kid's parties.

Gabbi was ready to open presents.  About an hour into the party she came up to me and said, "Can I open my presents now, please?"  Such good manners.  And by the time she went to bed that night she had played with every single one.  As soon as I had one open, she was asking me to open another one.

I would say the birthday party was a huge success.  Great food, great cakes, and great company.  Next year the theme will be "recycled" as in I will be using all of the left over plates/flatware from the last three parties.  It will be great.  Very "green".  Gabbi is also planning, she already told me that on her next birthday she will be four.  Nice to know she gets the idea, but I don't think I need to start planning...yet.

She is such a beautiful little girl and I cherish every minute with her.  She makes me laugh everyday and I can't get enough hugs from her.  She really is hilarious, in case you didn't know.  I wish I could capture every moment of her day on video or print.  It is the most random moments that she says some of the most hilarious things.  Thanks to this blog I can capture some the major moments.

Happy Birthday Gabbi!!  xoxox-mommy

 

She is growing so (too) fast.

My little girl is turning 3 in a week.  I don't think that I am ready for it. Both from a logistic standpoint and emotionally. 

Like her past two parties, the original plan was to keep it simple.  Party #1 = huge BBQ at papa's, two small helium tanks, several lost balloons, way too much.  Attempt #2 = Little Gym, life size princess cut outs.  This year's attempt  is now underway.  The plan is to keep it simple, which right now I think that it is.  Now if only I can avoid any and all Pixar / Cars displays or isles.  They just suck me in and everything is just too cute.  I did pass up a Lighting McQueen pinata today = strength!  

No matter how big or how small it is all worth it.  I love that no matter the decor or food, she will be surrounded by friends and family.  And this year it will include her two aunts for the first time.  

Today she got to pick out her cake and she was pretty pumped.  I can't wait until next Sunday to document it all.   

Happy early birthday Gabbi!

Happy Easter!

It is Easter and we made the most out of it.  It was great, minus Mommy's damn camera.
Earlier in the week we decorated eggs and made little cakes for Daddy's house.  She was pretty excited all week at the thought of an Easter egg hunt.  She is so lucky that she got to go to one with her dad, have one at mommy's, and one at daddy's.  Either lucky or spoiled.  Either way she is loved.

Gabbi woke up and missed a few eggs on her way to Mommy's room but after a bit she realized there were little plastic eggs every where.  She went through the house and found all of the eggs the Easter Bunny hid for her and opened her basket.  It was a great quiet morning.  One of her gifts was a new car that changes colors in water or heat.  So...Bathtime!!  She loved it.

After breakfast we put together her new puzzle and played with cars.  A great Sunday morning in our book.
Over our breakfast bowls I brought up why we celebrated Easter.  I didn't go into to deep, I mean she is just nearly three.  But we talked about Jesus and his love.  We are not a hugely religious family but we talk about God and we pray.  I will get to share my faith with her in time but now it is about teaching lessons.  Teaching her how to live as a good person.  We hope every one had a great Easter and had a chance to spend the day with loved ones.

School is Cool!

It's official!  I received the news today.  Gabbi is registered for preschool and will begin class in September.
My little lady is growing up way too fast and I just can't believe it.

For the past couple of weeks she has been reminding me all of the time that she is growing up.  She thinks she is super tall and likes to stand and stretch way tall.  She also likes to tell me that she will be taller than me, well that won't take much.

She also likes to tell me what she will be able to do when she gets bigger.  So far she will be taller than me, drive my car, go to school, get a pet, have soda (umm? No), get a bigger bed, have coffee (ummm? No), and ride a school bus.  She is too cute.  I know that at some point she will get to do all of these things but for now mommy is just thinking about her going to school.

She will be attending the Darcy Read Memorial Coop Preschool.  This school allows there to be a great deal of attention to each individual student, a chance for Roy and I to be involved in her education, parent involvement in each class, small class size, and a chance to hang out with other little kiddos.  I am secretly very excited for her, but also kind of sad that she is growing up.  I like her being this age so much.  Of course I have said that every day.  I love her to pieces and I know that we still have a ton adventures ahead of us.  I can't wait!!!

Egg Decorating!

Gabbi and I took some time and decorated a few eggs this Sunday.  My camera is acting weird right now, so the pictures are not the best but they will have to do. Enjoy!

We finally got to use the princess dye kit I picked up last year.  I planned on waiting until we were closer to Easter, but Gabbi had found the kit and talked Mommy into decorating early.  It wasn't hard.  Gabbi loved the activity. The only downside was the dyed hands she and I both had after wards.  But it's the price we gladly paid.

She loved making the eggs change colors and decided right away that one dip just wasn't enough.  I think every egg ended up in two to three different bowls, but Gabbi loves the colors she made.  She kept asking if she could hatch the eggs, meaning break them open.  She was bummed when I told her she had to wait. Then when we were all done she told me to go buy some more eggs.  :-)

 

Happy Easter!!!

Whirligig!!

What a busy day.  Gabbi and I got going early in the day and visited a local pre-school.  That's right we are planning on Goo going to Darcy Read Memorial Co-op School!  It is a cozy school that allows Roy and I to be very involved and allows Gabbi to develop skills to prepare her for kindergarten.

Then we were off to Seattle Center for Whirligig!  Whirligig is an annual event that turns the Center House into a bouncy toy town.  We were joined by our friends, Kelli, Erin, & Dillon.  Gabbi was awesome.  She wanted to go big right away.  She decided to give the 24 foot slide a try.  She got up the ladder at a very slow pace, but once she was at the top she scooted her bottom to the very edge and just slide at record speed to the bottom.
Once she got on her feet again she told me, "That is dangerous."  I of course cracked up.

But she just kept going.  She tried a smaller slide but lost her courage at the top and mommy rescued her.  She tried an obstacle course but got cold feet half way through and came out.  She tried a small bouncy house, a.k.a. Gum Ball, but a kid accidentally pulled her hair. So...we took a break and ate some lunch.  Next thing I knew she wanted to try it again.

She loved it!!  There wasn't any thing stopping her now.  She didn't want to get out now.  She got the hang of bouncing in no time!  I was so proud.  We tested out a few other smaller toys but it was the gum ball machine bouncy toy that was her fav.  She "talked" mommy into some face painting. Hey it was cheaper than the cartoonist and balloon lady.  :-)

It was a great day.  I probably would not suggest taking any kiddos under the age of 5 to Whirligig.  The slides are pretty intense and there are much bigger kids on the rides too.  They did have a toddler section, but it was good for about a minute.
Either way it is on our list of things to do in the future.  Chalk it up to a fun adventure for us.