More Birthday Pics

Hi everyone! Here are some pictures from our trip to Laramie last weekend. We met up with Amanda, Greer, Gio, and Joe's parents. We celebrated Gabi's birthday and took in a Wyoming football game.

Aunt Amanda made Gabi this Dora birthday cake! Isn't it cool?!

Not only did it look great, it tasted great too!

Gio helped Gabi open presents!

Gio, Gabi, & Aunt Amanda at Jerad & Jen's tailgate before the game.

Gabi meets Cowboy Joe in Tailgate Park

This is what the UW quarterbacks were doing too -- asleep at the helm! So frustrating! Gabi can fall asleep in the noisiest places! I wish I could do that!

Eating some of Great-Grandma Phyllis's apples in the park. Those 2 little teeth (now three) had some work to do!

Until next time! Have a great weekend!

Tara

The Big One!

Here are some pictures from Gabi's first birthday! The first celebration of the day was at Teresa's house this morning after I got off of work. Octavia & Peyton helped Gabi celebrate by eating cupcakes and singing Happy Birthday to her! Octavia even helped Gabi blow out her candle!

Yumm!

Octavia & Gabi

Joe & I helped her celebrate again this evening with another round of cupcakes and singing. Even Grandma Mary and Grandpa Gary got in on the celebrations thanks to Skype! We are meeting up with Grandma Joyce, Grandpa Dave, Uncle Greer, Aunt Amanda, & Gio in Laramie for a football game and some more birthday celebrations on Saturday!

Joe thought these blocks would encourage her to become an engineer someday! :)

Our Silly Girl

It is hard to celebrate Gabi's birthday without thinking about her birthmother in Guatemala and what she must be feeling today. Words cannot express our appreciation for her for giving us our daughter. We're sure her decision was not an easy one a year ago. This little girl has brought such joy to our lives and a kind of love that only parents must know. Please pray for Gabi's birthmother, that she may be comforted to know that Gabi is healthy, happy, and thriving in our family.

Gabi went to see Dr. Julia today (whose birthday is today too!) and came out with the following stats and 4 shots (ouch!):

• 23lbs. 1.5oz (85th %ile)
• 31.25inches (100th %ile)
• Healthy as can be!
  

Thank you all for helping us celebrate our Gabi and her first year of life. The support we have received this year has been amazing and we are so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful friends and family!

Love, Joe, Tara, & Gabi

Dancing to Her Own Beat!

Hi Everyone! Thanks for stopping by for a Gabi update! She's been busy learning new things! I think going to Teresa's house (our babysitter) a couple of mornings a week has really helped her with walking, talking, and her new favorite thing to do, dancing! She is doing really well and didn't even cry when I dropped her off last Thursday, which is good, but I was kind of sad too!

Here is a video of her dancing to her favorite artist, Stevie Ray Vaughn! Grandpa Gary is so proud!

Gabi has started "cruising" around the furniture and with her walker. She also loves to do squats, which makes my legs burn just watching her!

Gabi has always been a good eater, but we've found a new favorite...spaghetti! Yum! She wasn't too big on the peas, though.

I think I tried too hard to get these pigtails to work, but I thought they were cute, nonetheless. Someday!

Gabi really likes Cowboy football, even though Mom & Dad are a little frustrated with them this year. She loves the music and when everyone claps (even though there have been more boos than claps this season!) ;-)

Gabi and I went to visit our friends, Char and Jason who had a baby girl yesterday! Morgan McKinnon Delaney is such a cutie! Her and Gabi will be good buddies once she gets big enough to defend herself! Congratulations you guys!

It's hard to believe that Gabi will be 1 year old next week (the 25th)! Tune back then for some birthday pics!

Love to you all!

Joe, Tara, & Gabi

Gabi's First Photo Shoot...

...Okay, professional photo shoot! ;-) If you're a regular reader of our blog, you know that Gabi has had her picture taken many, many times and does actually pose on request! ha!

Our awesome photographer, Tanja, put Gabi's photos into a gallery ready to view. Click HERE to create an account. Then, click on Gabriela's gallery and enter the password "hall" to view. E-mail me at tmlamay@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

Have a great weekend everyone! Tara

Go Pokes!

Gabi enjoyed her first Wyoming Cowboys football game on Saturday! She loved it, but due to the heat she was only able to watch the first half. Gabi, Jackson, and I headed over to Washington Park to play, while Joe watched the rest of the game. It was a beautiful day in Laramie and the Pokes won 21-20!

Dressed in Game Day Gold!

At Jen & Jerad's Tailgate party

Gabi also had her first camping experience this weekend. We set up camp near the Happy Jack area outside of Laramie. She loved looking at all of the stars, playing in the dirt (and trying every once in awhile to sneak a taste), and crawling over all of the sleeping bags and us in the tent. She slept great (who wouldn't with all that wonderful Wyoming fresh air?!)

Playing peek-a-boo at the campsite while Daddy sets up the tent.

We hope you all had a fun Labor Day weekend! Thanks to all that commented on Gabi's photos at www.contemporaryexpressions.net/blog. We should have the entire collection to view by Tuesday, so check back then for directions to that site.

Love to you all,

Joe, Tara, & Gabi

One Busy Little Girl!

Hello Everyone! Since I'm only blogging every 2 weeks or so now, you're getting a big one this time! We have been having fun going places, visiting new people, learning new things, and watching Gabi grow so fast!

This past weekend, we went to Des Moines, Iowa to visit my family and attend a wedding. Gabi did great -- she is really opening up and getting over her stranger anxiety. She loves to be the little entertainer and is quite the socialite! We did get over to Lincoln to visit my Gramma Dot, Aunt Virginia, Uncle Gary, and cousin Allie and her new fiance, Brad.

Great-Gramma Dot

Aunt Virginia

Allie & Brad

Playing Great-Grandpa Larry's piano. Will she be a honky tonk player too?

My best friend from high school, Susie Tofte, married her soul mate, Adam Hollander on Saturday. It was such a beautiful wedding and I was honored to be a part of it. Their love for life and each other was apparent the entire weekend.

Susie is a beautiful bride!

Friends from high school that were at the wedding -- Angie, Courtney, Joe, Adam (groom), Susie (bride), and me! It was great seeing them and catching up!

Gabi with Joe Ness and Marie. She absolutely adored Marie!

Dancing with Daddy at the reception. Grandma Mary & Grandpa Gary took Gabi home early, so we could stay at the reception and help Susie & Adam celebrate. How we wish they were closer, so this could happen more often! Thanks Mom & Dad!

Here are some photos from the past couple of weeks around Golden:

A giant zucchini that overgrew in the garden. Gabi loves veggies!

Gabi in her new swing! She loves it!

I had to take a picture of the silver maple tree in our backyard. If we ever move from our cute little house in Golden, I will miss this tree the most.

Gabi can now pull herself up and proceed to crawl on top of things. She also mastered stair climbing on the first try. We had never practiced going up the stairs and one day I turned around from folding the laundry and she was on the 3rd stair. I don't think I've ever jumped up so fast in my life. She was evening climbing up the slide at the park today -- and then sliding down, of course -- her favorite part.

With buddy, Eliza, and Jane at the park this afternoon.

A request of our family and friends:

Gabi had professional photos taken last week. The photographer has given us a sneak peak on her blog -- www.contemporaryexpressions.net/blog. For every 10 comments we receive on our blog posting, she will give us $25 towards our purchase (up to $50), so please comment! The ones she posted definitely aren't my favorites, but that's okay. She'll have all of them up for viewing at the end of the week or early next week, so check back then for directions to that site! She did an amazing job!

Thanks for checking in on us! Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Joe, Tara & Gabi

Fun at the Fair

We headed up to Buffalo, WY this weekend to see family and attend the Johnson County Fair & Rodeo! Gabi loved seeing all of the livestock, especially the horses! I think we may have a future cowgirl on our hands!

Notice the jeans -- Karen Davis made these jeans for Gabi, complete with the Hall's brand stictched on the pockets. They were way too cute!

Gio & Gabi getting to know the horses grazing by Grammy's yard.

Enjoying her first snowcone while watching the rodeo and listening to Papa Dave announcing!

Gio & Gabi were all about hugs and kisses -- it was very cute! They'll be good buds.

All of the cousins were at Don & Phyllis's this morning (2nd cousins technically) It was fun to see everyone!

Here are some pictures from around the house the past 2 weeks:

Gabi's hair is finally (but, barely) long enough to put in pigtails! Yea! The only way I can get her to sit still long enough to do them is to put Dora on the TV. :-)

Wake-Up, Jackson, let's play!

I'm back to school now, so my posts may get further and further apart, but I'll try my best. We really do appreciate all of our post readers and their support! Have a great week!

Joe, Tara, & Gabi