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

Life is Good!

I hope this all finds you all doing well! Things at the Hall Household have been pretty laid back this past week. It is safe to say that we have somewhat of a schedule figured out and everyone is doing great. Joe went back to work this week, so us 3 girls have been hanging out and having fun!

Maya is growing, growing! On Monday, she weighed in a 1/2 oz. shy of 8lbs., so she has been gaining a little over an ounce a day since coming home from the hospital. She was 21 inches long -- hard to believe she grew 2 inches in 2 weeks, so we think her legs are just starting to stretch out a little more! She has been sleeping a good 5-6 hour stretch every night and going 3 hours between meals during the day. I'd like to say we have her on a sleep-eat-play schedule, but most of the time it is just sleep-eat-sleep! Here she is this morning all bright-eyed and beautiful!

I think she has Joe's long skinny legs already, don't you?

Gabi has been doing much better this week. She is all about sitting close to the baby and giving her kisses. She really wants Maya to play with her, so she keeps giving her toys and showing her things. On stroller rides, she points things out to the baby (even though Maya is sleeping most of the time). It is very cute. She still is needy for hugs and attention from us, but I can't complain about that -- I would hug and kiss Gabi all day long if I could! Such a good girl.

Daddy's Girls

Here are some pictures of Gabi from this week!

"Bubbas!"

Rolling in the grass like the cat!

We all went to the zoo last Sunday and Gabi had a great time. She said "hi" to all of the animals and we think she liked the elephants the best. Maya enjoyed her snooze at the zoo. ;-)

If you know us, you know that we can't sit still and have to be out and about. I get the girls out at least once a day for a walk to a park or to the store. (I need to remember to take a picture of the girls in their double stroller --maybe by next post.) On Saturday, we walked down to the Farmer's Market and to the playground. Gabi loves the curly tube slide.

We have had lots of visitors the past week or so. Today, Angie and Kristine came over for lunch and brought along their girls to play. They had a blast and the sun actually came out for a bit (it has felt more like Seattle than Denver here for the past few weeks, so it was a welcome surprise). Thanks you two for lunch, the dinners, and company!

Gabi, Charlie (Kristine's), MacKenzie & Asha (Angie's) and Maya in MacKenzie's arms!

And last, but certainly not least, Gabi & Maya are the proud new cousins of Marcello Anthony! Amanda & Greer celebrated the arrival of the newest son on June 4th. He is a cutie! So, Maya is no longer the baby of the family anymore! :-) Congratulations you guys!

Proud brother, Gio, and Marco

Have a great week everyone!

Joe, Tara, Gabi, & Maya