Promised Pics

The Playground for Toddlers and Preschoolers

The stables, paddock and cow beside the Toddler House-- they have an equine program

The pool

Big Kids playground

Gabi's last day with AMZ and MK

Getting ready for school--backpack and 1st day dress

Playing before school

Worn out after lunch and all that learning

Gabriella's First Day of School

Well, I did it. I took Gabriella to her new school this morning. She was supposed to go yesterday, but she was under the weather. In fact, all of us were. However, she was able to go this morning. It's a better situation for her to start today. She'll only go from 9-1 today and tomorrow. On Friday, she'll have to go all day. I'm not looking forward to that. She will have pretty long days with someone else.

The bright spot is that I met her teachers and they are wonderful. She got down from my arms, walked right over to Ms. Maria and sat in her lap. She's really into saying "mama" now and after a couple of minutes, she was showing Ms. Maria her mama. When I went to give her a hug and kiss, she started crying. That'll break your heart and make you feel like a terrible parent all rolled into one. But I know she's doing great. I was ecstatic to hear that they teach Spanish in their classroom as well. Woohoo! That was the only thing I was bummed about with this arrangement. I am so excited about this school, I could just flip.

I have pics to post of her from before school, but I thought I'd take some of her in her new classroom today when I pick her up. I just hate that she's big enough to go off to school already. But she is one cute student!!!

BIG News at Gabi's House

Gabriella Lilisol has had a major accomplishment! She went peepee on the potty this morning after her nap. She has been waking up from her naps dry and I wanted to make certain that we didn't miss the opportunity to cash in on this little development. Yesterday, MK and Amanda Z and I went to Target to do some important shopping. The big item on the list was a new potty chair for Gabriella. I waited until this morning to show it to her. She practiced sitting on it in the living room before her nap. After her nap, we had major success. And she's very excited.

Immediately following the big girl potty incident, I ran to yell downstairs that she pottied. When I ran back in to the bathroom to do a dance with Gabi, I ripped my pants. I'm telling you-- it's a big day!

Our Gabi girl is growing up so fast!

Playing, playing, playing with silly friends

Gabi and Daddy blowing on hot food.

The Girls hanging out with Levi the Bear

Gabi has been so lucky this week. With Mary-Kelsey (aka Our MK) and Amanda Z here, Gabi has gotten an obscene amount of attention and cuddles. It's a bit ridiculous. We tried to take a lot of pictures today because we've been so busy that we keep forgetting.

Also, yesterday we had the first meeting of our Guate playgroup. We were not aware of one in our area with other Guatemalan adoptive families, so we started one. We hosted the first one. We had burgers from the grill and were able to swim after the rain subsided. It was great to meet some people from the area and watch these adorable kids interact. It looks like the group might be a success. Unfortunately, I was so busy hosting, I didn't get any pictures. Next time...

Here are some photos from today. Please note Gabi's beloved Levi. This is the bear that Gabi's cousin, Emmie, very carefully and lovingly picked out for Gabi long before we even met her. Gabi loves this bear so much that there is rarely a moment when she doesn't have Levi. She kisses him, hugs him, says "bear" and loves on him all day long. He sleeps with her and we think we're going to have to find Levi Dos--just in case.

Gabi's newest spoken words are "book, bucket, GG, car, bear, go."

Big, Big Friday!

Amanda Z and MK are here! We are having a lovely time hanging out in the pool, playing with Gabi, shopping, eating and avoiding the August heat.


Today, we went downtown to the Galleria to shop and get Gabi's ears pierced. Let me say that Gabi is a trooper. These pictures show her crying. However, she cried during the prep process and was barely bothered by the actual piercing. She didn't like having to hold still and she didn't like me holding her head so the woman didn't pierce her brain. That was what made her so angry. She stopped crying within 15 seconds of the actual piercing and was giggling. She is so cute with her new pierced ears. I wanted to get her ears pierced because it is customary to pierce infants' ears in Guatemala. She is beautiful!

Pics... Enjoy!

Farewell to our Beloved Izzy

We said goodbye to Izzy just a few minutes ago. She is going to live with two brothers who live together with their 3 other Vizslas. They have had Vizslas since they were 4 years old. They love these dogs, have no children in the home and the dogs get tons of attention and lovin'. This is exactly what we prayed for our sweet Izzy. We know she will be so much happier than she was with us. Poor girl was always in trouble for something and Gabi made her nervous. I truly believe that she will be happier.

My heart breaks for Gabi who adores her Izzy so much. We hope to have a dog in the future-- once we decide what our overseas plans might be. We do not feel complete without a dog in our home. But safety for our daughter, future children and other children who might be in our home have to come first. Some breeds and backgrounds of dogs are much more suitable for small children. I hope Gabi doesn't miss her too much. Let's hope that our visitors who arrive tomorrow will distract her from Izzy's absence.

We love you, Izzy!

A Little Update

The last hurrah for her cowboy boot slippers-- she's outgrown them.

Gabi is delightful. Her face is healing well, she's off her antibiotics and she is as feisty as ever. She recently developed a hysterical excitement for the equestrian events in the Olympics. As any bad parent does, we were watching the Today show. A piece on one of the equestrian champions came on. As soon as Gabi saw the horses, she went into belly giggles. The lasted the entire piece. What should one do in the midst of such a discovery? Call your Aunt Paige and tell her that your love of horses is deep and real. Aunt Paige's response was that if she isn't going to be a gymnast, she just might make it as a jockey. (We're constantly looking at career options for someone who is likely less than 5 feet tall. Just kidding-- she can be whatever she wants to be.)

Waking up from naptime on the wrong side of the crib.

Playing with Daddy after church-- isn't she cute?

Paige Beat me to the Punch

I was going to post about this today, but Paige beat me to it. This was one of the funniest conversations I've had in a while. It took place in a gmail chat and it was remarkable how in sync we were about these thing. So check out Paige's blog. If you know any of us, it will make sense.

Brilliant Blogger Award

My lovely friend, Robin, nominated me for this lovely award. I'd like to thank Robin, the Academy, and of course, my family.

This is how it goes: 1st I have to answer a little questionnaire. Then, I have to choose 7 bloggers who I feel are BRILLIANT and I give them the award. They will post their own answers to the questionnaire on their own blog and they will choose 7 more recipients. And so on!
A. Attached or single? Attached
B. Best friend? Ed & Liza
C. Cake or pie? Cake-- um, chocolate please. Preferably my Gran Gran's.
D. Day of choice? Saturday
E. Essential item? Reading material before bed, preferably a delightful book.
F. Favorite color? Orange, Go Illini. Well, it's just a bonus that the Illini are orange.
G. Gummi bears or worms? Worms, but not a fan of either.
H. Hometown? Mt. Vernon, IL
I. Indulgence? too many to list here.
J. January or July? July
K. Kids? One serious sassafras from Guatemala
L. Life isn’t complete without? Gabriella Lilisol
M. Marriage date? 6/18/98, 10/10/98
N. Number of brothers & sisters? 1 freakishly brilliant big sister
O. Oranges or apples? Oranges
P. Phobias? Falling up stairs and breaking my teeth
Q. Quotes? "It is difficult to discover new oceans if you never have the courage to lose sight of the shore"
R. Reasons to smile? Gabi and lots of friends and family to love.
S. Season of choice? Autumn
T. Tag seven peeps! (see below)
U. Unknown fact about me? I have very few fears. See above.
V. Vegetable? I'd have to say green beans, too.
W. Worst habits? I'm a chronic napper.
X. X-ray or ultrasound? Ultrasound
Y. Your favorite food? spinach artichoke dip
Z. Zodiac sign? Gemini
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