Mother's Day

We had our second baby girl!!

Okay, okay. Maybe that is actually my niece, Zoey. But she is cute enough to claim as our own. :) For Mother's Day this year, Gabby and I were in Utah with my mom and Jason's mom and celebrating the fact that my sister, Kira, is now a mom. So it was certainly a good holiday. I always forget that Mother's Day applies to me now, too. Somehow this year, I even managed to get three special days out of it. On Saturday, we had a nice dinner (and amazing pie) with Jason's family. On Sunday, Michael grilled up some yummy food at my sisters and we took the shots below.

Gabby kept positioning herself for more photos, so we went along with it.

Hooray for moms!

We returned the next day, exhausted from traveling (and a delayed flight) and Jason was full of surprises. Not only did he pick us up from the airport, when we thought he couldn't, but he told me that he got me some flowers. As I wandered the house evaluating the work he had done while we were away, this is what I discovered in the den:

WHAT?!?!?! I couldn't believe it! A new computer!? That is the best bouquet of flowers I have ever received. I knew that my computer was reaching its last days, but I was prepared to wait it out another year before something so nice as this (don't tell him that). :) Thank you, My Love! It is nice to be home!

Visiting Family

My sister, Kira, had a baby at the end of March, so I took Gabby to visit her new cousin. Gabby was so excited to be around Zoey and was very gentle and loving, giving many kisses. Let's hope that that will remain the case with her sibling once she realizes that my attention is divided....

A happy grandmother.

We spent the second half of the week with Jason's family and had a great time at the aquarium. Gabby's favorite was, naturally, the penguins. (The real penguin photos were not anything worth posting.)

She also enjoyed trying to touch the sting rays (or at least playing in the water).

And of course, anything that appears to be a slide, Gabby will be sure to slide down, as was the case with this random frog statue that she couldn't get enough of.

So we had to take her to a park where she could go on the real slide.

It was a wonderful trip! Gabby is still naming all of the family members that we visited and we are looking forward to doing it again soon. Maybe Jason will be invited to join in next time....

April Catch-Up

There is so much to catch up on! From festivals to moving to house guests, here is a glimpse of what we have been up to:

At the beginning of April we went to the tulip festival. It was amazing to see fields and fields of gorgeous tulips - including so many varieties that I never knew existed. Gabby did a very good job at smelling every flower she came across.

Of course, her photogenic abilities disappeared with her mood after about 20 minutes. Most of our photos of that day look more like this:

Maybe next year we'll get some smiles out of her.

Despite Gabby's inexplicable bad mood, we had a great time with our friends, Heather, Chris & Josh.

April 21st, we moved to our first real house!! All went smoothly with the purchase and the move. Gabby spent her time helping out by unloading her dresser over and over.

She also discovered new places to explore. At one point, we caught her curled up entirely inside on one of these shelves, we just didn't manage to capture it on camera.

We are now getting settled and loving the space and yard. (The cookies below were a nice housewarming gift from some of Jason's colleagues.)

Come visit us sometime!

Jason's sister, Cami, was the first to test out our new place, visiting from Denver. We attempted to return to the tulip festival, but discovered the tulips had already all been beheaded. Luckily, we still had a great time in the quant little town.

Together, we visited downtown Seattle and enjoyed the scenery, markets, and good food. It was so much fun to have her!

A-B-C

Gabby has taken quite a liking to the alphabet. She can say all the letters (mostly in French), although "W" (pronounced "du-bluh-vey") is shortened to "du" and "Y" has always been "yo-yo" (thanks to the photos that go with the letters). Everywhere we go, she looks out the car window and shouts out letters she sees or finds letters around the store, etc. I am not sure where her excitement for the alphabet came from, but we are happy to go along with it. Now that she has the letters almost down, she is working on numbers and is doing pretty well at 1-10. Below is a video of her reading the alphabet that I promised the grandparents. It's not perfect, but we think it's pretty cute for a 17-month-old. :)

Jason Top 10

4 years ago today, I made the two best decisions of my life - to wear white shoes before Memorial Day and to marry my amazing husband. I actually can't believe that it has only been 4 years, it seems like sooo much longer (I mean that in the best way, Babe). I even had to count the years again today to be sure. Life before Jason seems like a book I read a long time ago - enchanting but inconsequential.

In reflecting on this anniversary, I decided I would share my 10 favorite things about Jason:

1. His maturity.

2. His humility.

3. His ability to eat under any circumstances.

(Yes that is a whole bagel in his mouth.)

4. His ability to handle pressure without breaking a sweat.

5. The refreshing smell of his armpits when we hug.

6. His willingness to risk his life for me, even if it is just to make sure I get a roasted marshmallow for the evening.

7. His respect for me at all times.

8. His talent for getting something on his shirt at least once a day, even if a bird delivers it from above.

9. His manly physique.

10. His dreams of being a star.

(I realize that I somehow managed to take the video below sideways, but it is still worth posting. Check out those swinging hips!)

Thanks, Sweetheart, for everything. Especially for not checking this blog often enough to know that I am posting these pics! Happy Anniversary!

Easter Festivities

Gabby had a very exciting Easter weekend. On Saturday, she was invited to an Easter egg hunt and lunch at a friend's home. It took her several eggs before she realized that she was supposed to find the eggs and put them in her little basket, but once she figured it out, there was no stopping her.

Discovering another egg, but enjoying the flowers simultaneously.

The competition is on.

Sweet victory.

On Sunday, some friends had us over for a yummy Easter breakfast. Gabby and her friend, Tori, had a great time playing together and having another mini Easter egg hunt. They became so good at sharing that they kept putting their eggs in each others' baskets. Apparently Tori was better at this because somehow Gabby managed to come home with a lot more eggs than half!

We also watched General Conference and taught Gabby a little bit about Jesus Christ and what Easter is really about. (Jesus is one of Gabby's favorite words and I hope that with the frequency that she points out His picture everywhere and shouts His name, it isn't considered in vain...). :)

By the end of the weekend, Gabby decided she is a big fan of Easter!

Gabrielle Boyer, Bee Slayer

She looks so innocent, doesn't she? Don't be fooled. Especially if you are an insect. Yesterday, we came home from a playdate and Gabby quickly began busying herself near her table as I put things away. I noticed her crawling around under her table - I assumed she had dropped a crayon or something. But then she came over to me saying "uh, oh" holding out her hand and saying "pa" (which in Gabby language means "poubelle"/garbage). She often finds tiny crumbs on the floor and wants to throw them into the garbage, so I still did not think anything of this, but since she was persistently pointing under the table, I decided I would help her find whatever tiny piece of trash was disturbing her organized mind.

What I came to find was none other than a suffering bee - a hornet no less - right where she had been focusing her attention on the ground. I quickly checked her for any signs of a sting, but she appeared unharmed. I have no idea where this wasp came from, but I can only assume that our invincible daughter discovered it and decided it was garbage, pinching it to near death in her attempts to pick it up. (See crime scene in photo above.) While I am certainly glad that she did not get stung, it also worries me to have such fearless child. Perhaps I have made the bees in her book seem too happy and fun....

Gabby's Sibling Revealed

Pros:

• Gabby & sibling will be best friends (whether they like it or not)
• We already have a wardrobe for her, pre-stained
• We have had a practice run with a girl and not so much with a boy
• Girls 3 : Boys 1 - we are totally winning in this household!

Cons:

• She may be a bit of a tomboy, since Jason will be teaching this child how to throw a football by 9 months, no matter what sex she is
• We originally avoided buying gender-specific baby supplies, which are never as cute as the girly options -now we are stuck with the animal car seat
• We have lost all hope of carrying on the Boyer name now that we add yet another x chromosome to the collection on both sides of the family

It's a...?!

At last the day arrived to find out if we are having a boy or a girl! And of course, our little one decided it would be funny to play a little joke on us and cross its legs, blocking all views of the necessary organs! Seriously?! Does this happen to other people?? Of all times to decide to be modest. So, the suspense continues. We have been referred to another office where they will do some 3D images, so that the gender will not be questionable (we hope!). Check back Friday for the real announcement!

The baby is waving here as he or she teases us.

Hugs & Kisses

Gabby loves to give hugs and kisses (or "bisous" as she knows them). When saying good-bye or good night to someone she becomes a leaner and expects a kiss, no matter how well she knows the person. She also is a girl among mostly boys her age in her little social group. Put these together and you get a hilarious video that was taken a little while ago, by our friends the Burns:

http://aaronandmelanie.wordpress.com/2010/02/20/matthews-girlfriend/

Gabby is used to being the bigger and more aggressive one. She doesn't really know how to react with the tables are turned! Too funny.

Recent Distractions

Gabby recently enjoyed the Seattle Science Center with her friend, Josh. Well, actually, she only enjoyed one small part of the toddler area of the Science Center. I could not get that girl away from the water!

So this is what it is like to be in the 50th percentile in size, instead of the 99.99th.

(By the way, she may tell you that the ring is a halo, but it is actually a reflective stroller in the background.)

Can I take a message?

Uncle PJ comes to town!

Crazy display at the Experience Music Project (EMP).

Gabby thought the EMP was a dance studio.