Another G & M Update! :)

Hello everyone! Here are some pictures and videos from the past couple of weeks! Enjoy!

Sisters

Maya really likes to watch Gabi. When Maya is sitting up, she'll follow Gabi around the room watching her every move. Gabi is getting a lot better with Maya and likes to "play" with her. She can say "Maya" and is excited for Maya to sleep in her bedroom. Maya has a crib now, but we haven't moved her into Gabi's room yet. We'll see how that goes!

Maya Smiles -- they come pretty easy and often now!

She's getting very good at holding her head up too.

I took the girls to the Jefferson County Fair this morning with some friends and their girls:

Charlie, Marisol, & Gabi in front of the sheep.

When Gabi saw the horses and sheep, she would make the appropriate sound and then say "PAPA!" She is used to seeing these animals on Papa Dave's ranch!

Gabi pets (she did after the pic was taken) Danny, the goat!

Here is a video of Maya checking out her feet -- she thinks they are pretty cool!

Here is another one of her kicking -- she is constantly kicking her legs when she is awake:

Our other big news is that Gabi is potty trained! Yippee! It was quite the undertaking and wasn't the most pleasant way to spend our anniversary and my birthday, but it was worth it. We have learned that Gabi will do almost anything for a jelly belly! Ha! She still has an accident every now and then, and we're still working on using the public restrooms and #2, but we have a good start.

The entire Hall family had some pictures taken over the 4th of July weekend. Here are a couple of them:

Marco & Maya

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We're headed to Alliance this weekend for my Grandma Genie's 90th Birthday! Should be a fun time! Love to you all!

Joe, Tara, Gabi, & Maya

Just Chillin'

It is hard to believe that Maya is 2 months old already! She is such a sweet little baby and we love having her around. She went to see Dr. Julia on Friday and weighed in at 10lbs 7oz (50th %ile) and was 22.5in long (60th %ile). So, she is eating well and healthy as can be.

She has discovered her feet and loves watching herself kick! She is constantly moving her legs and can even scooch herself around on her back in her crib or on the floor. Even the nurse commented on how strong her legs were when she was giving her her shots. She is a smiley little bug and I think I've even heard her giggle once or twice. Maya has been sleeping 8-9 hours at night since she was around a month old, so that has been very nice for me.

On Saturday, we went to the Buffalo Bill Days Parade here in Golden. Gabi really enjoyed all of the horses, marching bands (she's really into dancing right now), and the balloons. It is a fun parade.

You can't beat this view!

Gabi's friend Lily (Lily's brother got to ride a street sweeper in the parade!)

You can't have a parade in Golden without some Coors trucks. I thought this was a good pic because if you look closely, you can see the brewery in the background.

Here is a picture of Gabi and Lily drinking their milk together in our recliner last night. They look pretty tuckered out after playing hard. Lily and I have the same birthday -- July 28 -- she will be 2 on Tuesday and I will be 30! Yikes!

Joe and I had our first official date night on Friday. It is the first time we had gone out by ourselves since before Gabi came home! We had a great time eating at the Olive Garden and seeing "The Hangover." Thanks to Char and Jason for babysitting! Joe and I celebrate our 7th Anniversary tomorrow!

Love to you all,

Joe, Tara, Gabi & Maya

Fun in Iowa

Yes, we were crazy enough to venture out on the road again last weekend...this time a 10.5 hour ride to Urbandale to see my family. Maya is at a good age to travel, but keeping Gabi happy and entertained was a full-time job each way. We made it and had lots of fun with my parents and brother.

Maya was baptized on Saturday at St. Pius X Catholic Church, the same church that Joe & I were married in. Our family friend, Deacon Rick did the private service and it was beautiful. He said that Maya was the first baby that he had baptized that did not cry at all. She even smiled after he rubbed oil on her head. What a happy girl she is! Our friend, Kara Jones, made Maya's dress and Gabi's as well. They are beautiful! My brother, Tom, is Maya's Godfather.

Joe, Maya, and Tom

Gabi and Grandma Mary

Proud Grandparents & Godfather

Baptism attendees with Deacon Rick

On Sunday evening, we had a party celebrating my Dad's 60th birthday. His birthday was actually back in April, but he wanted good weather so his band buddies could have a Rock 'n' Roll concert outdoors. They did an awesome job! It was fun to see some family friends that I haven't seen since I left home 11 years ago (or longer!) It was also nice to meet some of his co-workers and church friends for the first time. My uncles from Omaha were able to attend, so it was fun to catch up with them as well.

Gabi teaches Uncle Tom how to use a camera ;-) Gabi adores Tom -- and since we've returned from our trip, she keeps saying,"Tom?"

On our way back to Denver, we stopped in Lincoln and had lunch with my Grandma Dot. She got to meet Maya for the first time.

Early last week, my Grandma Dot asked me to take a close-up picture of Gabi and Maya together so that she could show her friends. When I was feeling up to the challenge, I sat them both on the couch and started shooting very quickly. I had to take almost 20 pictures to get a few decent ones. Here a 3 of them.

This is my ultimate favorite:

Doesn't Gabi look totally guilty here? Even though she wasn't the reason Maya started crying, her "I didn't do it and even if I did I'm too cute for you to get mad" smile says otherwise.

That's all for now! Take care!

Joe, Tara, Gabi, & Maya

A Wyoming Weekend

We hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. We spent ours in Buffalo with Joe's family and had a great time. Gabi and Gio wore each other out and Maya and Marco got acquainted. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Watching the fire at the cabin and waiting for "s'more time"

I don't know how Joe and Greer got them to pose like this, but doesn't it look like a prom pic? :)

Grammy Joyce with 2 sleeping kiddos!

Going with Papa to find marshmallow roasting sticks

Stop and smell the lupine

A random hug we caught on camera. There were lots of hugs and fun play between Gabi and Gio, but there were a few arguments as well. Sharing 101 here we come.

Waiting for s'mores on Grandpa's lap.

Gabi's 1st s'more. A new favorite treat, I believe.

We had professional family pictures taken on Sunday -- 29 of us Halls in all. I will post a few when we get them back.

Take care! Joe, Tara, Gabi, & Maya

Smiles...

A few hours after my last post, we captured some sweet Maya smiles. I have a feeling that in the years to come, this will be priceless to us!

Enjoy!

Maya's First Month

What a wonderful month it has been! Maya is still doing great. We were blessed with her first smile a week ago and we can get a few out of her every day (usually after she's been fed). It is a crooked little smile and so cute -- melts my heart every time! She has even smiled at Gabi, even though most of the time she is confused by the strange sounds coming from her sister and the pats, kisses, and pulling of socks Gabi is known for. Here are a few pictures from today. It is sure hard to capture their smiles on camera!




We had some special visitors last weekend. Joe's mom brought all of Joe's grandparents to Golden for the weekend. We visited lots and Joe and his Grandpa took in a Rockies game on Father's Day! Gabi enjoyed all of the attention, of course! Maya had some smiles to share with her grandparents.

Great-Grandpa Don and Great-Grandma Phyllis

Great-Grandma Fern

Grammy Joyce gets a Maya smile!

We don't go back to the doctor until Maya is 2 months old, so we don't know exactly how much she weighs, but she has outgrown most of her newborn clothes. She is holding her head up very well, making some "ahh" sounds, and is very alert and interactive while awake.

Happy Father's Day!

We surprised Gabi with a new slide and play set. She loves it! We spend lots of time outside in the backyard having "tea," playing in the sandbox, chasing Jackson, swinging, and now climbing and sliding.

Have a great weekend! Thanks for checking in on us!

Joe, Tara, Gabi, & Maya

3 Weeks Old Already...

Hello!

Here are some pictures of Maya & Gabi from the past week. Both are doing well. Maya is definitely becoming more alert and interactive, which is fun. She is still sleeping 5-6 hours straight at night and eating lots. We're hoping she continues to be as laid back as she is now. She makes lots of grunting noises and squeals (I think she sounds like a little piglet) and kicks and moves her arms a lot.


Here are Maya and Gabi in their stroller on one of our recent walks. Gabi likes sitting next to Maya and peeking in at her.

Below is a video of Gabi doing Itsy Bitsy Spider and saying her new favorite word, "HOLA!" It sounds better when her mouth isn't stuffed with cheese, but her high chair is the only place she'll sit still long enough for me to get her on video! :-) Sorry in advance for my poor singing skills.

Not much else is new, we're just hanging out and enjoying each day. I ran for the first time yesterday and that was interesting (it was more like a slow shuffle!) It felt fine, just slow. My tailbone has been hurting and the doctor told me today that I probably broke it during delivery. Let's hope it heals and isn't too bad, so I don't have to have surgery. Yuck.

We're looking forward to Grammy Joyce, Great-Grandma Fern, and Great-Grandparents Don & Phyllis to visit this weekend!! Have a great rest of your week.

Love,

Joe, Tara, Gabi & Maya