Thursday, March 4, 2010

For the Billings

Yesterday, I went to check the mail and there was a package from my fantastic aunt Elaine. She is always SO good with everyone's birthdays. I reach to pull the box out and it bangs the side of the mail box. All of a sudden I hear "OO-OO-AH-AH-AH!" I just stared at the box and thought "Oh Elaine. What have you done??" hahaha! Every move the box made, it let out a monkey call!

This morning we let Gabe open the gift from the Billings. As we were trying to open the box the monkey kept going off and it spooked Gabe a little! Kind of funny!

This is Gabe with his newly opened gorilla car! So fun!
The first run! And I'm a dodo and turned the camera so it's all sideways. Oh well!
He loves cars. He just crawls around with it in his hand. Thank you Billings family! What a fun toy!

Happy Birthday Gabe!

A year ago today, Gabe was born. We couldn't be more excited. We love you Gabe!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Gabe's Birthday Invitation

We are having Gabe's birthday party on Saturday. It is a Pat the Bunny theme. Nate made the invitations. He even drew the bunny free-mouse (get it? freehand? ha...ha...). I think he did a great job. I am so excited for the party! I wish Gabe knew what was going on! If any of you are in the Flagstaff area this Saturday, you are invited! :)

Monday, March 1, 2010

Day Trip to Mesa

Nate had a training day in Phoenix last Wednesday so Gabe and I made a day of it. We went to the temple and hung out with our cousins. Very fun day!

At the temple
Hanging out with cousin Porter
Picking up daddy after training
We played at Grandma Rene's new house for a little before heading home to Flagstaff.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Date Night

So last night, for the first time ever, we had a real babysitter. We have always lived close to family who could watch Gabe. Yes we have left him with someone but this was the first time we had to pay someone and show them how to watch DVD's. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. She is a very sweet girl and Gabe really seemed to like her. She said he was the easiest baby she had ever babysat. "He just hangs out and is pretty chill". We went to a steak house called Black Bart's for dinner. We didn't know it was a sort of dinner theater as well. It was a lot of fun! The food was fantastic! I had chicken kabobs that were so moist they fell off the stick, a vegetable kabob, baked potato, garlic bread, and sourdough biscuits. Nate had a filet mignon, cowboy beans, and red velvet cake. We both had sarsaparilla! And then each waiter got up on stage and sang a show tune with the most talented pianist. It was a really fun atmosphere and good food. Afterwards, we went to the movie theater but there was nothing good showing so we thought we would do something else. But the nightlife scene is seriously lacking Flag. The bowling alley was packed and the theater was packed. Our only other option was to walk around the mall, middle school style. :) No thanks. Well we had only been gone about and hour and a half and we were embarrassed to go home so early, so we sat in our heated car and played a new board game we had bought in Sedona! Ha! Lame I know, but it was really fun. When we got home, our babysitter had left the place looking like she had never been there. There were no dishes, no toys out, Gabe's clothes folded neatly... she's great! It was a little bit of a funny first date but as we do it more, I'm sure we'll get better at it!

Not related at all but this morning, I was in the kitchen making breakfast and Nate was in the living room, supposed to be watching Gabe. But Gabe had crawled out of his sight and he thought I had him. Well, I came around the corner of the stairs and Gabe was sitting there with his face covered in chocolate. He had somehow found a little bag of Valentines chocolates and was just chewing on the wrapped chocolate, swallowing foil and all. Sheesh.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Early Valentine's Trip

Nate was going to be busy around the real Valentine's weekend so the weekend before, he surprised me with a getaway to Sedona. Sedona is about an hour from Flagstaff, in Red Rock country. It is absolutely beautiful! Nate was trying to be sweet and got us a bed and breakfast, but the only places he could find were for more... romantic trips. Showers to two, mirrored ceilings... you get the idea. He was trying to find a family friendly place and he finally found one. But when we got there, we were in for quite a surprise! It was just a regular house. This old couple just had an extra room in their house that they rent out!! It was SO awkward! We couldn't stop giggling under our breath. They were sitting there in their easy chairs watching tv and she was knitting, waiting up for us to get there! We ate breakfast at their table with them every morning. It was just... awkward. That's the best word for it. But we had fun going around Sedona. We ate at an amazing restaurant called the Barking Frog and walked around the shops and the main streets. Then the best part was the last night, we went to Blazin' M Ranch, which is a cowboy ranch and dinner show. It was so much fun! Amazing food and really fun cowboy music performed. It was a fun trip!
Chapel of the Holy Cross. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his student, it is built into the red rocks.
The chapel
The art village of Tlaquepaque
The angel Gabriel
Locked up at the Blazin' M Ranch
'Bout to get hanged
The dinner show performers
Gabe was helping us pack to go home
In his new onesie: Knee-high to a grasshopper.
On the bum it has a little grasshopper, hopping. :)
Driving home to Flag

Saturday, January 23, 2010

ok....

So I do have new pictures to post from Spain/Christmas but it is such a daunting task I try to steer clear of my blog so it doesn't throw me accusatory glances. I took 305 pictures while we were there and I put around 100 up on Facebook. I'm going to put much less up here. :)
In case you didn't know, my parents are living in Madrid and we went to visit them for Christmas. Gabe did great on the 16 hours flight there, and I think he would have been good on the flight home but he got an ear infection. Yuck. It really was such a fun trip! We loved it!

Gabriel's first Christmas (at home)
On the flight to Madrid, in his Luftansa bassinet
Grandpa and Gabe sleeping
Opening presents for our second Christmas
Emma and Gabe at Ribs restaurant. Ribs is "authentic Texan BBQ". In the middle of Spain.
On the metro going into the city
On the double decker bus
The basilica at Valle de los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen Soldiers)
Franco is buried here.
El Escorial, the palace of the Bourbons and the Hapsburgs.
In Toledo, posing with Cervantes.
Toledo
The Roman aqueducts in Segovia
The summer palace in Aranjuez
Lunch in Aranjuez