Our Little Wildflower

Hello all!

Here are some pictures from our trip to Buffalo last weekend. Gabi had lots of fun playing with her cousin, Gio! Give them a few years and they will be quite the pair! We took Gio & Gabi up to the mountains for some pictures in the wildflowers. I don't think you could find a better backdrop! The Big Horns really are beautiful and the two little kids are pretty cute themselves!

Grandma Joyce time! Can you tell by Gabi's hair that she just woke up? :)

Joe's cousin, Natalie, brought over her two little girls -- Ella (pink) and Kate (green). All of the cousins had fun playing together and Ella was just enamored with Gabi's hair -- she kept touching it. What fun they will have as they grow up together!

The Big Horn Wild & Scenic Trail Run went well. Joe won the 50K by over 20 minutes and enjoyed it. I was 18th (7th female) in the 30K. We saw lots of wildflowers and I even saw two bull moose while riding up in the bus. I've been in Greeley this week taking a class, so I've been missing my Gabi. Sounds like she has been having a great time with Grandma Joyce!

Love to you all! Enjoy the rest of your week!

Celebrating Family!

Hello! Is this summer flying by or is it just me? We spent last weekend in Crawford, Nebraska at the LaMay Family Reunion and drove up to Buffalo, Wyoming last night to spend this weekend with Joe's family. It is a good thing that Gabi is such a little trooper and allows us to haul her all over the place! She loves seeing her Grandmas and Grandpas!

We all wore cowboy hats and embroidered bandanas for family pictures at the reunion!

A great time was had by all at the LaMay Family Reunion. It was so fun to see everyone. The last time everyone was together was my Grandpa Joe's funeral 4 years ago. Family came from Washington, Wyoming, Arizona, Nevada, Iowa, Tennessee, Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, and South Dakota. We gathered at the family cabin just outside of Crawford. It was a beautiful and blessed day.

Gabi meets her Great-Grandma Genie

Family Reunion 2008 attendees

A Family Gathering at the Cabin during Thanksgiving (~15 years ago)

LaMay Family (~25 years ago) We have grown since then!

Joe & I are running the Big Horn Wild & Scenic Trail Run on Saturday in the Big Horn Mountains. Joe is running the 50K (31 miles) and I'm doing the 30K (18.6 miles). All I can say is that it sounded like a good idea back in February (before Gabi came home), but seems a little crazy now! Oh well -- the wildflowers will be out in full force since it has been a stellar moisture season in Northern Wyoming , so it will be a beautiful run! Aunt Amanda gets to watch Gabi while we're running, so that will be fun. She has been playing with her cousin Gio already and having a great time. She really wants to crawl and keeps practicing.

Joyce (Joe's mom) is riding back with us to Golden on Sunday and will stay at our house for the rest of next week to watch Gabi. I have to take a class in Greeley that will prepare me to teach AP Environmental Science next year. It will be hard to leave Gabi, but she will have fun with Grandma!

We hope you all are having a great week! Thanks for checking in on us!

Love, Joe, Tara, & Gabi

Feeling Better!

Shortly after my post last week, Gabi developed a low fever. At first we thought it was due to teething, but when she stopped eating, we knew it was something bigger. Turns out that she caught a virus that gave her a really, really sore throat. A couple of trips to the doctor, a few sleepless nights (she wouldn't sleep unless we were holding her), and some meds, she fought it off. This was the first time that she has ever been sick, so I think that made it even harder on her. We're just so glad that she is back to her normal, healthy, silly, great-sleeping little self! She has started to wave "hi," so that has been fun this week!

Since Gabi was sick, we don't have many pictures from this past week, so you're stuck with one of me! On Saturday morning, we decided that Gabi was doing much better, so we headed up to Spearfish, SD for the Mickelson Trail Marathon. We stayed with Grandma Fern in Spearfish and met up with our friends from college. Joe, Gabi, & Fern drove along the race course and supported me, which I really needed! It was a beautiful course and despite a lack of sleep, the first 13 miles being uphill, getting hailed on for 10 minutes around mile 20, I MADE IT! My time was 4:05, a little slower than I would have liked, but I finished 22nd out of 108 females and was in the top 1/3 overall. The race was a fun experience (I can say that now that the soreness has diminished!) Our friends, Chris & Tracy Jons and Sam Bruner ran the half-marathon and did great!

We're headed to Crawford, Nebraksa tomorrow for the 1st Annual LaMay Family Reunion (my Dad's side of the family). Gabi will finally get to meet her Great-Grandma Genie and all of her Great-Aunts, Uncles, & Cousins. We're really looking forward to it!

Love to you all! Have a great rest of your week! Thanks for your support!

Joe, Tara & Gabi

Electric Hair & Stinky Feet

Hello! Hope you all are doing well! Here are a couple of pictures from this past week! Gabi's hair has decided that it is no longer going to lay down. No matter what I do (gobs of lotion, spraying it with water, combing it every 5 minutes), it wants to stand up. It sure does add to her silly personality! She has been scooching around on her butt on the hardwood floors and has been a little joy. She seems to want some teeth to come out, but none have appeared yet!

Electric Hair

Gabi loves to laugh at Joe! Just about anything he does gets at least a big smile and most of the time, lots of giggles. She is such a silly little girl and as you can tell in the video, she makes us laugh as well.

We're headed up to Buffalo on Thursday night for a short visit before heading to Spearfish, SD on Saturday to stay with Grandma Fern and to meet up with Chris & Tracy, Sam & Ashley, and Nate & Robbie. I am running the Mickelson Trail Marathon on Sunday and many of our friends are doing the Half Marathon. Wish us luck!

Have a good week,

Joe, Tara & Gabi

SURPRISE!!

We can't believe we pulled it off! Gabi and I flew to Des Moines last Friday to surprise my Mom with long weekend visit! My brother, Tom, came from Las Vegas as well. We all flew into Des Moines on the same flight, my Dad picked us all up at the airport, and we showed up at my Mom's work to surprise her! Everyone at her office knew except for her and they sent her out to the waiting room to "get a patient!" She was so surprised to see us -- I even saw tears in her eyes! We love you Mom!

My Mom saw Gabi first and went straight for her. She later acknowledged that Tom & I were there too! Lots of laughs!

Gabi loved playing Grandma & Grandpa's piano.

Gabi thought Uncle Tom was pretty cool.

Grandpa Gary serenades Gabi with some of his great guitar playing.

A family picture before Tom, Gabi, and I head to the airport after a fun weekend. Joe stayed in Colorado to run the BolderBoulder. Team Steel (KL&A) had a repeat victory and Joe ran well and had fun despite the cold weather. He missed his Gabi, though!

Have a great week!

Love,
Joe, Tara, & Gabi

Giggling Gabi Girl!

Hello Everyone! We thought we would share a little video that we took of Gabi giggling during dinner one evening. Don't you love how babies think the simplest things are funny? We've had a great week. She is really good at saying "Hi" and we think we heard a "kit..." as in kitty this morning, but it's hard to tell. She has learned how to give kisses (open-mouth slimes!) and lots of hugs. It is so fun to watch her grow and learn.

We hope you all have a wonderful rest of your week and a great Memorial Day weekend! BolderBoulder here we come! Love to you all!

Joe, Tara, & Gabi

Bye Bye Brace!

Hello Everyone! We are pleased to announce that Gabi's hip brace only has to be worn at night and naps! Her doctor was impressed with her progress and we could see so much improvement from the x-rays. She has been even happier than usual since it has come off. She is really snuggly too -- lots of hugs!

Gabi with no brace! Yea!

Our First Mother's Day! What a special day it was! I was a little tired from a 22 mile run I had done that morning, but we had a blast and spent lots of time together. We celebrated more on Saturday by going out to lunch and shopping a bit. I have always wanted to be a mother and am so thankful that now somebody will always call me "Mom."

Does this shirt make my tummy look big?

Having a picnic in the basement -- yummy!

We also have enjoyed visits this week from Julianne and Angie (who caught me in my robe this morning -- I hope she isn't too scarred from that!) Angie is being induced this evening, so keep her family in your thoughts and prayers as their new little girl enters the world. We can't wait to see her! Have a good week!

Love,

Joe, Tara, & Gabi